Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kathmandu and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $485 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$485

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $485 in Kathmandu versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Kathmandu $485
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $776 in Kathmandu versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Kathmandu $776
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,067 in Kathmandu versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Kathmandu $1,067
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Kathmandu costs roughly 78% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kathmandu is 64% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 NPR 304

$16.50 €14.67

-87.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.16 NPR 3,064

$61.3 €54.5

-67.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 NPR 1,160

$11.27 €10.03

-32.21%

Cappuccino

$1.52 NPR 231

$3.06 €2.72

-50.33%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 NPR 82.7

$2.26 €2.01

-76.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 NPR 23.14

$1.73 €1.54

-91.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 NPR 483

$3.39 €3.02

-6.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 NPR 507

$3.40 €3.02

-1.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 NPR 115

$1.12 €1.00

-32.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 NPR 94.6

$1.86 €1.65

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 NPR 132

$1.53 €1.36

-43.14%

Eggs

$1.66 NPR 252

$3.96 €3.53

-58.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 NPR 1,141

$12.76 €11.35

-41.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 NPR 468

$7.90 €7.02

-61.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.02 NPR 914

$16.97 €15.09

-64.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 NPR 315

$2.27 €2.02

-8.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 NPR 180

$1.75 €1.55

-32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 NPR 208

$1.85 €1.64

-25.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 NPR 81.6

$2.57 €2.28

-78.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 NPR 57.9

$1.86 €1.65

-79.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 NPR 82.2

$2.02 €1.80

-73.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 NPR 74.4

$1.44 €1.28

-65.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.24

$0.82 €0.73

-73.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 NPR 367

$6.56 €5.83

-63.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 NPR 1,156

$5.62 €5.00

35.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 NPR 334

$1.28 €1.14

71.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 NPR 454

$2.07 €1.84

44.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 NPR 33.95

$2.35 €2.09

-90.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.76 NPR 1,482

$44.18 €39.30

-77.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 NPR 264

$3.99 €3.55

-56.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 NPR 173

$1.09 €0.97

4.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 NPR 506

$16.64 €14.81

-79.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 NPR 214

$2.28 €2.03

-38.16%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K NPR 4.5M

$33.7K €30.0K

-11.40%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

$39.3K €35.0K

-7.46%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$31.62 NPR 4,805

$167 €149

-81.12%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$3.42 NPR 520

$18.80 €16.72

-81.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.97 NPR 1,363

$33.09 €29.43

-72.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.13 NPR 3,363

$46.01 €40.93

-51.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.76 NPR 1,027

$19.19 €17.07

-64.77%

Cinema Ticket

$2.89 NPR 439

$9.84 €8.75

-70.63%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$66.1 NPR 10.0K

$677 €602

-90.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,484 NPR 833.3K

$16.9K €15.1K

-67.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.88 NPR 3,780

$101 €90.1

-75.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.17 NPR 3,976

$45.76 €40.70

-42.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 NPR 9,573

$100.0 €88.9

-36.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.83 NPR 4,381

$123 €109

-76.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 NPR 33.1K

$1,614 €1,436

-86.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 NPR 15.8K

$1,197 €1,065

-91.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 NPR 65.8K

$2,862 €2,545

-84.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 NPR 30.1K

$1,990 €1,770

-90.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,296 NPR 348.8K

$7,577 €6,740

-69.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,340 NPR 203.6K

$4,307 €3,831

-68.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$267 NPR 40.6K

$1,588 €1,412

-83.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.72

3.85

152.47%

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

Last update for Kathmandu: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Kathmandu

$145 29.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 86.4% $125

Accommodation & Living

Kathmandu

$104 21.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 1051% $1.1K

Eating Out

Kathmandu

$83 17%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 194% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Kathmandu

$64 13.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 159% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kathmandu

$44 9.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 399% $175

Sport & Entertainment

Kathmandu

$28 5.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 135% $38

Getting Around

Kathmandu

$18 3.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 249% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Kathmandu and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 495% 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: $20.00 in Kathmandu vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $145 vs $269 per month, with Kathmandu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

4 h 45 min behind Kathmandu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NPR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kathmandu Lisbon 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kathmandu
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

Kathmandu vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu wins on cost – living expenses run 358% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kathmandu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 495% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $218 in Kathmandu versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kathmandu – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $485 per month in Kathmandu versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 358% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $485 in Kathmandu versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kathmandu but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kathmandu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kathmandu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $485 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kathmandu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kathmandu 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.

Expats usually find Kathmandu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 358% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.