Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlovy Vary and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovy Vary: $1,447 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Karlovy Vary
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
$1,447
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karlovy Vary and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Karlovy Vary and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,447 in Karlovy Vary versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Karlovy Vary $1,447
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,407 in Karlovy Vary versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Karlovy Vary $2,407
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,367 in Karlovy Vary versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Karlovy Vary $3,367
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Karlovy Vary costs roughly 35% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Karlovy Vary 7% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karlovy Vary
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.12 Kč 197
$16.50 €14.67
-44.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.32 Kč 980
$61.3 €54.5
-26.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.63 Kč 187
$11.27 €10.03
-23.43%
Cappuccino
$2.92 Kč 63.1
$3.06 €2.72
-4.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Kč 35.40
$2.26 €2.01
-27.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 Kč 29.28
$1.73 €1.54
-21.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.02 Kč 43.64
$3.39 €3.02
-40.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 Kč 41.42
$3.40 €3.02
-43.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karlovy Vary
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 Kč 25.17
$1.12 €1.00
3.57%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 Kč 31.01
$1.86 €1.65
-23.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 Kč 49.89
$1.53 €1.36
50.98%
Eggs
$2.80 Kč 60.6
$3.96 €3.53
-29.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.32 Kč 266
$12.76 €11.35
-3.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.03 Kč 152
$7.90 €7.02
-11.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.70 Kč 361
$16.97 €15.09
-1.59%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 Kč 40.12
$2.27 €2.02
-18.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 Kč 36.87
$1.75 €1.55
-2.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.14 Kč 46.31
$1.85 €1.64
15.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 Kč 70.1
$2.57 €2.28
26.07%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 Kč 23.03
$1.86 €1.65
-43.01%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 Kč 23.80
$2.02 €1.80
-45.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 Kč 24.54
$1.44 €1.28
-21.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 Kč 16.42
$0.82 €0.73
-7.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.45 Kč 161
$6.56 €5.83
13.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.89 Kč 149
$5.62 €5.00
22.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 Kč 19.04
$1.28 €1.14
-31.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 Kč 35.69
$2.07 €1.84
-20.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Karlovy Vary
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 Kč 48.81
$2.35 €2.09
-3.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.53 Kč 552
$44.18 €39.30
-42.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.71 Kč 58.6
$3.99 €3.55
-32.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.45 Kč 31.30
$1.09 €0.97
33.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.71 Kč 361
$16.64 €14.81
0.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 Kč 40.76
$2.28 €2.03
-17.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.5K Kč 594.6K
$33.7K €30.0K
-18.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.2K Kč 502.0K
$39.3K €35.0K
-40.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlovy Vary
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$252 Kč 5,447
$167 €149
50.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.47 Kč 486
$18.80 €16.72
19.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.84 Kč 407
$33.09 €29.43
-43.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karlovy Vary
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.9 Kč 1,252
$46.01 €40.93
25.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.42 Kč 463
$19.19 €17.07
11.62%
Cinema Ticket
$6.93 Kč 150
$9.84 €8.75
-29.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karlovy Vary
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$182 Kč 3,941
$677 €602
-73.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,794 Kč 60.4K
$16.9K €15.1K
-83.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karlovy Vary
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.4 Kč 1,804
$101 €90.1
-17.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.53 Kč 790
$45.76 €40.70
-20.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 Kč 2,175
$100.0 €88.9
0.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 Kč 2,656
$123 €109
0.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karlovy Vary
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$692 Kč 15.0K
$1,614 €1,436
-57.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$470 Kč 10.2K
$1,197 €1,065
-60.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,642 Kč 35.5K
$2,862 €2,545
-42.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,305 Kč 28.2K
$1,990 €1,770
-34.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,820 Kč 147.5K
$7,577 €6,740
-9.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,127 Kč 110.9K
$4,307 €3,831
19.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karlovy Vary
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,404 Kč 30.4K
$1,588 €1,412
-11.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.67
3.85
21.30%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Karlovy Vary: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Karlovy Vary
$470
Lisbon
$1.2K 155% $727
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlovy Vary
$293
Lisbon
$219 25.2% $74
Groceries & Markets
Karlovy Vary
$253
Lisbon
$269 6.3% $16
Eating Out
Karlovy Vary
$160
Lisbon
$242 51.6% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Karlovy Vary
$155
Lisbon
$166 7.7% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Karlovy Vary
$72
Lisbon
$66 8.4% $6.1
Getting Around
Karlovy Vary
$45
Lisbon
$63 41.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $692 in Karlovy Vary and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Karlovy Vary vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $269 per month, with Karlovy Vary cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇿 Karlovy Vary
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
05:42 5:42 AM
04:42 4:42 AM
1 h behind Karlovy Vary
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
52,065
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Karlovy Vary Lisbon 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Karlovy Vary
  • Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Karlovy Vary vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Karlovy Vary?
Karlovy Vary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Karlovy Vary or Lisbon?
On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Karlovy Vary and Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $692 in Karlovy Vary versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Karlovy Vary or in Lisbon?
Dining out is cheaper in Karlovy Vary – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Karlovy Vary and in Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $1,447 per month in Karlovy Vary versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Karlovy Vary or in Lisbon?
At $1,447 in Karlovy Vary versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karlovy Vary but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Karlovy Vary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Karlovy Vary or Lisbon more family-friendly?
For families, Karlovy Vary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Karlovy Vary or Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Karlovy Vary and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Karlovy Vary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Karlovy Vary vs other spots: cost of living compared

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