Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Al Kut

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $660 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Al Kut, Iraq
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Al Kut
🇮🇶 Iraq
$660
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Al Kut

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 Al Kut actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $660 in Al Kut, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Al Kut $660

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,016 in Al Kut, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Al Kut $1,016

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,372 in Al Kut, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Al Kut $1,372

Lisbon costs about 235% more than Al Kut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Al Kut is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Al Kut
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.96
$4.05 IQD 6,122
311.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$18.78 IQD 28.4K
228.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$6.05 IQD 9,139
87.77%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$2.51 IQD 3,795
18.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$0.39 IQD 583
487.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.23 IQD 342
656.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$2.84 IQD 4,294
19.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.67 IQD 4,030
23.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Al Kut
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.02 IQD 1,543
13.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$0.73 IQD 1,097
161.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.49 IQD 2,246
1.34%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$1.60 IQD 2,411
151.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$3.85 IQD 5,821
236.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.99
$3.58 IQD 5,410
117.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.96
$11.64 IQD 17.6K
52.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$0.91 IQD 1,376
152.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$1.00 IQD 1,511
73.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$0.85 IQD 1,289
118.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$0.63 IQD 951
311.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$0.55 IQD 837
230.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$0.57 IQD 864
245.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.56 IQD 849
162.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.51 IQD 768
41.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.92
$1.71 IQD 2,577
284.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$9.61 IQD 14.5K
-41.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.36 IQD 2,055
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$1.93 IQD 2,918
10.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Al Kut
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$0.33 IQD 493
606.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$1.88 IQD 2,848
104.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.14 IQD 1,720
-6.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$5.53 IQD 8,349
197.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$0.50 IQD 754
340.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$14.1K IQD 21.3M
142.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$15.4K IQD 23.3M
151.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Al Kut
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$86.2 IQD 130.3K
87.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$13.28 IQD 20.1K
38.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$29.34 IQD 44.3K
11.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Al Kut
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.03
$36.82 IQD 55.6K
20.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$9.35 IQD 14.1K
2.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Al Kut
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$138 IQD 208.6K
383.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$2,820 IQD 4.3M
524.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Al Kut
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.7
$20.90 IQD 31.6K
388.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.95
$23.07 IQD 34.9K
92.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$58.9 IQD 88.9K
67.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$37.09 IQD 56.0K
233.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Al Kut
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$183 IQD 275.9K
780.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$149 IQD 224.5K
701.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,527
$370 IQD 559.1K
660.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,809
$320 IQD 483.8K
528.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,043
$846 IQD 1.3M
826.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,111
$502 IQD 758.8K
811.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Al Kut
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.12
-6.55%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Al Kut: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Al Kut
$149 87.5% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Al Kut
$152 44.1% $120
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Al Kut
$103 57.7% $140
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Al Kut
$129 39.3% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Al Kut
$63 62% $103
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Al Kut
$56 12.9% $8.2
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Al Kut
$8.9 * 85.9% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $183 in Al Kut. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $19 in Al Kut. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $152 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇮🇶 Al Kut
🕒 Local time
14:54 2:54 PM
17:54 5:54 PM
3 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
422,793
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Al Kut 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Al Kut

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 Al Kut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Lisbon and in Al Kut compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $660 in Al Kut – roughly 235% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Al Kut?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $990 in Al Kut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Lisbon and Al Kut?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $183 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Al Kut?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $660 in Al Kut. That’s a gap of about 235%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Al Kut?
Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $138 in Al Kut. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Al Kut, where all-in costs run around $660, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Al Kut it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Lisbon or Al Kut?
Families tend to lean toward Al Kut – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?