Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kobe and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Kobe: $1,392 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,392

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,392 in Kobe versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Kobe $1,392
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Kobe versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Kobe $2,067
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,742 in Kobe versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Kobe $2,742
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Kobe costs roughly 37% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kobe 2% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ¥1,217

$16.65 €14.96

-53.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,034

$61.7 €55.5

-48.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥776

$11.36 €10.20

-56.78%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥375

$2.97 €2.67

-20.20%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$2.29 €2.06

-48.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥90.1

$1.74 €1.56

-67.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ¥335

$3.40 €3.06

-37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥363

$3.31 €2.97

-30.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.16 €1.04

35.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.91 €1.72

-29.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 ¥658

$1.51 €1.36

176.16%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥322

$4.02 €3.61

-49.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 ¥1,992

$12.94 €11.62

-2.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 ¥1,071

$7.77 €6.99

-12.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 ¥2,696

$17.76 €15.96

-3.94%

Apples (1kg)

$7.70 ¥1,217

$2.30 €2.07

234.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 ¥484

$1.73 €1.56

76.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 ¥785

$1.86 €1.67

167.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.71 ¥1,218

$2.59 €2.33

197.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 ¥606

$1.82 €1.64

110.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$1.97 €1.77

75.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥179

$1.47 €1.32

-23.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.72 €0.65

30.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ¥549

$6.58 €5.92

-47.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 ¥1,271

$5.61 €5.04

43.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$1.36 €1.22

44.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥230

$2.14 €1.92

-32.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$2.33 €2.10

-37.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,862

$44.68 €40.14

39.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥492

$3.85 €3.46

-19.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 ¥512

$1.07 €0.96

202.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.72 ¥4,221

$16.46 €14.79

62.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$2.20 €1.98

-51.82%

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

$19.9K ¥3.1M

$34.2K €30.7K

-41.80%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$38.7K €34.8K

-60.13%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$161 €145

-8.33%

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

$23.26 ¥3,674

$18.41 €16.54

26.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.25 ¥4,936

$32.74 €29.41

-4.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.90 ¥7,410

$44.55 €40.03

5.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.83 ¥1,869

$19.10 €17.16

-38.06%

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 ¥2,032

$9.60 €8.62

33.96%

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

$321 ¥50.6K

$668 €600

-51.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,141 ¥970.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

-65.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 ¥7,995

$102 €91.7

-50.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.01 ¥3,952

$44.46 €39.95

-43.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.98 ¥7,265

$98.5 €88.5

-53.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 ¥10.4K

$124 €111

-46.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 ¥109.1K

$1,608 €1,445

-57.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ¥73.1K

$1,190 €1,069

-61.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.8K

$2,812 €2,527

-60.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 ¥116.4K

$2,013 €1,809

-63.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,325 ¥683.3K

$7,839 €7,043

-44.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,894 ¥457.2K

$4,576 €4,111

-36.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 ¥312.0K

$1,575 €1,415

25.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

3.85

-47.53%

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

Last update for Kobe: 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

Kobe

$463 33.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 157% $727

Groceries & Markets

Kobe

$355 25.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 23.3% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kobe

$202 14.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 5% $10

Eating Out

Kobe

$127 9.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 90.9% $116

Getting Around

Kobe

$88 6.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 27.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Kobe

$84 6.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 97% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Kobe

$73 5.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 12.2% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $691 in Kobe and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kobe pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Kobe vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kobe

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

14:01 2:01 PM

9 h behind Kobe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,272

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kobe Lisbon 11,070 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Kobe
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

Kobe vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kobe wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kobe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Kobe, 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: $691 in Kobe versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 28% less than in Kobe. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $321 in Kobe versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kobe 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 Kobe delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,392 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kobe hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kobe 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.