Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ajman

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajman: $1,842 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Ajman
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Ajman Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ajman

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ajman

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Ajman actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,842 in Ajman.

Lisbon $2,210
Ajman $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,306 in Ajman.

Lisbon $3,275
Ajman $3,306

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,769 in Ajman.

Lisbon $4,341
Ajman $4,769

Living in Lisbon is roughly 20% more expensive than in Ajman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Ajman 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$5.66 AED 20.79

194.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$26.78 AED 98.4

130.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$8.13 AED 29.86

39.73%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.72 AED 13.65

-20.16%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.80 AED 2.93

186.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.40 AED 1.46

335.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$10.77 AED 39.55

-68.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$12.48 AED 45.83

-73.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.95 AED 7.14

-40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.35 AED 4.97

41.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.46 AED 5.35

3.42%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.08 AED 7.65

93.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.91 AED 29.05

63.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$6.59 AED 24.20

17.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$9.51 AED 34.92

86.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.94 AED 7.12

18.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.33 AED 4.87

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.56 AED 5.73

19.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.03 AED 3.79

151.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.03 AED 3.77

76.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.14 AED 4.17

72.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.18 AED 4.34

24.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.51 AED 1.87

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.34 AED 23.30

3.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$11.02 AED 40.45

-49.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.60 AED 5.88

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.30 AED 8.45

-6.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$4.07 AED 14.94

-42.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$69.4 AED 255

-35.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.48 AED 12.77

10.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.66 AED 2.42

62.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$8.41 AED 30.89

95.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.83 AED 3.05

165.06%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$45.4K AED 166.8K

-24.72%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$22.0K AED 80.7K

76.19%

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

$161 €144

$154 AED 565

4.87%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$49.88 AED 183

-63.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$85.4 AED 314

-61.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$76.9 AED 282

-42.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$9.74 AED 35.79

96.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$13.64 AED 50.1

-29.62%

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

$668 €598

$492 AED 1,806

35.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,741 AED 21.1K

206.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$58.4 AED 214

74.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$61.1 AED 224

-27.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$84.9 AED 312

16.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$94.8 AED 348

30.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$2,283 AED 8,386

-29.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$812 AED 2,982

46.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,619 AED 5,946

73.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$2,727 AED 10.0K

-26.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$2,272 AED 8,343

245.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,366 AED 5,015

235.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,259 AED 8,297

-30.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-23.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ajman: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ajman

$812 44.1% 31.8% $378

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ajman

$212 11.5% 22.1% $60

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ajman

$198 10.7% 18.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ajman

$289 15.7% 36.1% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ajman

$135 7.3% 18.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ajman

$104 5.7% 63.5% $40

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ajman

$92 5% 46.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,283 in Ajman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ajman pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $27 in Ajman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $212 per month, with Ajman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇪 Ajman

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

05:40 5:40 AM

4 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

238,119

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Ajman 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Lisbon vs Ajman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ajman wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ajman the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 30% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $2,283 in Ajman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $492 in Ajman. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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