Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaunas and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaunas: $1,509 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,509

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,509 in Kaunas versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Kaunas $1,509
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,259 in Kaunas versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Kaunas $2,259
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,008 in Kaunas versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Kaunas $3,008
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Kaunas costs roughly 32% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kaunas 11% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.03 €10.77

$16.65 €14.91

-27.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.4

$61.7 €55.3

9.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.20 €9.13

$11.36 €10.17

-10.21%

Cappuccino

$3.43 €3.07

$2.97 €2.66

15.49%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$2.29 €2.05

46.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 €2.90

$1.74 €1.56

86.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 €4.69

$3.40 €3.05

54.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.06

$3.31 €2.96

37.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.16 €1.04

38.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.91 €1.71

-9.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.51 €1.35

49.67%

Eggs

$3.24 €2.91

$4.02 €3.60

-19.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 €13.39

$12.94 €11.59

15.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 €7.28

$7.77 €6.96

4.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.49 €12.08

$17.76 €15.91

-24.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$2.30 €2.06

-30.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.73 €1.55

-13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.86 €1.66

17.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 €3.01

$2.59 €2.32

29.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.82 €1.63

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.97 €1.76

-52.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.47 €1.32

23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.72 €0.65

29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 €5.60

$6.58 €5.90

-5.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.98

$5.61 €5.02

78.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.36 €1.22

27.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.14 €1.91

0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 €1.03

$2.33 €2.09

-50.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.91 €28.58

$44.68 €40.01

-28.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.02

$3.85 €3.45

-70.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.07 €0.96

-16.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 €14.11

$16.46 €14.74

-4.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.20 €1.97

-8.64%

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

$27.8K €24.9K

$34.2K €30.6K

-18.75%

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

$28.1K €25.1K

$38.7K €34.7K

-27.53%

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

$196 €176

$161 €144

21.70%

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

$15.98 €14.31

$18.41 €16.49

-13.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.68 €14.04

$32.74 €29.32

-52.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.37 €28.99

$44.55 €39.90

-27.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.72 €24.83

$19.10 €17.10

45.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 €10.68

$9.60 €8.60

24.27%

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

$643 €576

$668 €598

-3.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,792 €7,874

$17.6K €15.8K

-50.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.8 €76.8

$102 €91.4

-15.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.41 €36.20

$44.46 €39.82

-9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €107

$98.5 €88.2

21.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 €145

$124 €111

31.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 €636

$1,608 €1,440

-55.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 €439

$1,190 €1,066

-58.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €946

$2,812 €2,519

-62.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 €626

$2,013 €1,803

-65.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,369 €3,017

$7,839 €7,021

-57.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,272 €2,035

$4,576 €4,098

-50.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,718 €1,539

$1,575 €1,411

9.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

3.85

5.19%

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

Last update for Kaunas: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kaunas

$490 32.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 143% $700

Groceries & Markets

Kaunas

$280 18.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 2.7% $7.4

Eating Out

Kaunas

$230 15.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 5.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaunas

$228 15.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 6.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Kaunas

$183 12.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 9.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Kaunas

$56 3.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 13.4% $7.5

Getting Around

Kaunas

$42 2.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 50.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $710 in Kaunas and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaunas pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Kaunas vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

2 h behind Kaunas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

315,993

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kaunas Lisbon 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kaunas
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

Kaunas vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaunas wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kaunas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Kaunas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $710 in Kaunas versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $67 in Kaunas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,509 per month in Kaunas versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Kaunas is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kaunas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kaunas delivers better value at $1,509 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kaunas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kaunas and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.