Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Krakow: $1,811 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,811

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,811 in Krakow versus $2,203 in Lisbon.

Krakow $1,811
Lisbon $2,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,597 in Krakow versus $3,237 in Lisbon.

Krakow $2,597
Lisbon $3,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,383 in Krakow versus $4,272 in Lisbon.

Krakow $3,383
Lisbon $4,272

Living in Krakow costs roughly 18% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Krakow 35% above, Lisbon 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.89 zł 46.46

$17.01 €15.18

-30.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 zł 196

$62.7 €56.0

-19.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 zł 38.92

$11.42 €10.19

-12.78%

Cappuccino

$4.12 zł 16.09

$3.09 €2.76

33.33%

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

$2.57 zł 10.05

$2.37 €2.11

8.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 zł 9.52

$1.66 €1.48

46.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 zł 17.88

$3.46 €3.09

32.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 zł 17.84

$3.29 €2.93

38.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 zł 4.13

$1.17 €1.04

-9.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 zł 5.74

$1.87 €1.66

-21.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.62

$1.52 €1.36

11.18%

Eggs

$3.95 zł 15.42

$3.88 €3.46

1.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 zł 36.37

$12.87 €11.49

-27.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 zł 30.29

$7.94 €7.08

-2.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 zł 51.6

$17.63 €15.73

-25.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 zł 5.23

$2.26 €2.01

-40.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.62

$1.76 €1.57

-3.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.86

$1.88 €1.68

-6.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 zł 11.95

$2.47 €2.20

23.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 zł 3.61

$1.86 €1.66

-50.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 zł 3.83

$2.07 €1.85

-52.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 zł 4.81

$1.39 €1.24

-11.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 zł 3.13

$0.81 €0.73

-1.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.22 zł 24.33

$6.89 €6.15

-9.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 zł 24.61

$5.53 €4.93

13.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 zł 4.63

$1.33 €1.19

-11.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 zł 6.90

$2.17 €1.93

-18.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 zł 5.86

$2.24 €2.00

-33.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.54 zł 131

$45.14 €40.29

-25.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 zł 8.91

$4.00 €3.57

-43.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 zł 3.88

$1.07 €0.95

-7.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.22 zł 47.78

$16.53 €14.75

-26.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 zł 6.62

$2.26 €2.02

-25.22%

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

$30.4K zł 119.0K

$33.5K €29.9K

-9.13%

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

$28.9K zł 112.9K

$40.5K €36.1K

-28.63%

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

$333 zł 1,301

$164 €146

103.51%

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

$8.71 zł 34.03

$18.54 €16.55

-53.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 zł 67.7

$33.21 €29.64

-47.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.70 zł 179

$46.01 €41.06

-0.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.11 zł 98.2

$18.80 €16.78

33.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 zł 33.95

$9.47 €8.45

-8.24%

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

$463 zł 1,808

$690 €615

-32.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,594 zł 37.5K

$16.9K €15.0K

-43.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.1 zł 387

$105 €93.4

-5.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.31 zł 158

$45.27 €40.40

-10.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 zł 353

$99.0 €88.3

-8.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 zł 464

$124 €111

-4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 zł 3,698

$1,583 €1,413

-40.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 zł 2,804

$1,209 €1,079

-40.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 zł 5,629

$2,833 €2,528

-49.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 zł 4,439

$1,964 €1,753

-42.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,602 zł 21.9K

$7,643 €6,821

-26.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,540 zł 13.8K

$4,431 €3,954

-20.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,855 zł 7,250

$1,573 €1,403

17.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

3.79

74.67%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$717 39.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 54% 68.5% $492

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$359 19.9%

Lisbon

$215 9.6% 40% $144

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$235 13%

Lisbon

$272 12.1% 16% $37

Eating Out

Krakow

$226 12.6%

Lisbon

$247 11% 9.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$157 8.7%

Lisbon

$168 7.5% 7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$63 3.5%

Lisbon

$65 2.9% 3% $1.9

Getting Around

Krakow

$47 2.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 35.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $946 in Krakow and $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Krakow vs $63.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $272 per month, with Krakow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h behind Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Krakow Lisbon 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Krakow
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

Krakow vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Krakow wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Krakow the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Krakow, 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: $946 in Krakow versus $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Krakow – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $63.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,811 in Krakow versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Krakow but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Krakow the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Krakow delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,811 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Krakow hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Krakow 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 Krakow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.