Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Tao and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Tao: $1,045 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Koh Tao
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,045
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,045 in Koh Tao versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

  • Koh Tao $1,045
  • Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,724 in Koh Tao versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

  • Koh Tao $1,724
  • Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,404 in Koh Tao versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Koh Tao $2,404
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Koh Tao costs roughly 53% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koh Tao is 23% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Koh Tao
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.89 ฿130
$17.04 €15.15
-77.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.00 ฿902
$62.3 €55.4
-56.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.49 ฿250
$11.02 €9.80
-32.03%
Cappuccino
$2.39 ฿79.8
$3.12 €2.78
-23.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 ฿25.49
$2.27 €2.02
-66.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 ฿14.04
$1.74 €1.55
-75.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 ฿71.0
$3.42 €3.04
-38.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 ฿108
$3.74 €3.33
-13.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Koh Tao
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ฿52.6
$1.17 €1.04
34.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 ฿46.03
$1.86 €1.66
-25.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.45 ฿48.38
$1.54 €1.37
-5.84%
Eggs
$2.08 ฿69.6
$4.06 €3.61
-48.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.21 ฿609
$12.91 €11.49
41.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.27 ฿109
$7.90 €7.03
-58.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.34 ฿346
$17.64 €15.69
-41.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.80 ฿93.5
$2.26 €2.01
23.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.1
$1.75 €1.55
-10.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.1
$1.89 €1.68
15.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 ฿68.4
$2.56 €2.27
-19.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.40 ฿46.78
$1.85 €1.64
-24.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ฿42.08
$1.97 €1.75
-36.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 ฿35.10
$1.45 €1.29
-27.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.31
$0.77 €0.69
-36.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.05 ฿135
$6.71 €5.97
-39.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.60 ฿588
$5.67 €5.04
210.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 ฿56.0
$1.37 €1.22
22.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 ฿88.0
$2.11 €1.88
24.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Koh Tao
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.02 ฿67.5
$2.32 €2.07
-12.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.43 €39.52
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.76 ฿92.2
$3.95 €3.51
-30.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 ฿32.79
$1.05 €0.93
-6.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.37 ฿113
$17.15 €15.26
-80.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 ฿42.56
$2.19 €1.95
-42.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ฿821.9K
$33.8K €30.0K
-27.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K ฿796.1K
$38.3K €34.0K
-37.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Tao
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.6 ฿3,229
$164 €146
-41.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.21 ฿375
$18.48 €16.43
-39.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.15 ฿573
$32.96 €29.32
-47.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Koh Tao
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.6 ฿1,858
$45.87 €40.80
21.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.50 ฿384
$18.68 €16.61
-38.44%
Cinema Ticket
$7.82 ฿261
$9.75 €8.67
-19.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Koh Tao
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$566 ฿18.9K
$684 €608
-17.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K ฿389.6K
$17.6K €15.7K
-33.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Koh Tao
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.2 ฿2,112
$104 €92.3
-39.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.21 ฿943
$46.20 €41.09
-38.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.4 ฿3,222
$99.7 €88.7
-3.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.8 ฿2,968
$125 €111
-28.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Koh Tao
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 ฿18.4K
$1,589 €1,414
-65.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$351 ฿11.7K
$1,169 €1,040
-69.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,583 ฿52.9K
$2,851 €2,536
-44.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$893 ฿29.8K
$1,993 €1,773
-55.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,685 ฿89.7K
$7,793 €6,932
-65.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,889 ฿63.1K
$4,418 €3,930
-57.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Koh Tao
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,600 €1,423
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.85
44.68%

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

Last update for Koh Tao: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Koh Tao
$351
Lisbon
$1.2K 233% $818
Groceries & Markets
Koh Tao
$254
Lisbon
$273 7.7% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Tao
$125
Lisbon
$215 72.2% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Koh Tao
$124
Lisbon
$168 35.3% $44
Eating Out
Koh Tao
$104
Lisbon
$247 138% $143
Sport & Entertainment
Koh Tao
$71
Lisbon
$65 8.2% $5.9
Getting Around
Koh Tao
$16 *
Lisbon
$63 300% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $550 in Koh Tao and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in Koh Tao vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $273 per month, with Koh Tao cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Koh Tao
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
21:23 9:23 PM
15:23 3:23 PM
6 h behind Koh Tao
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,382
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Koh Tao Lisbon 10,900 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Koh Tao
  • 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
Koh Tao vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Koh Tao?
Koh Tao is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 111% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,567 in Koh Tao and $3,302 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Koh Tao and Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $550 in Koh Tao versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $566 in Koh Tao versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Koh Tao or in Lisbon?
Dining out is cheaper in Koh Tao – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Koh Tao or in Lisbon?
At $1,045 in Koh Tao versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Koh Tao but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Tao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Koh Tao or Lisbon more family-friendly?
For families, Koh Tao 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, Koh Tao or Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Koh Tao 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 Koh Tao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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