Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Al-mawsil

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $597 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
Learn more

Al-mawsil Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Al-mawsil

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-mawsil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $597 in Al-mawsil.

Lisbon $2,206
Al-mawsil $597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $906 in Al-mawsil.

Lisbon $3,276
Al-mawsil $906

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,214 in Al-mawsil.

Lisbon $4,346
Al-mawsil $1,214

Living in Lisbon is roughly 269% more expensive than in Al-mawsil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Al-mawsil is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.08

$4.17 IQD 6,296

304.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.6

$10.66 IQD 16.1K

472.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.82

$4.81 IQD 7,265

128.27%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.73

$0.68 IQD 1,029

348.53%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$0.32 IQD 482

612.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.18 IQD 265

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$0.81 IQD 1,224

324.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.49

$1.34 IQD 2,029

191.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.69 IQD 1,037

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.65 IQD 976

190.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.58 IQD 872

158.62%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.68

$0.95 IQD 1,435

333.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.63

$7.22 IQD 10.9K

80.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.19

$2.99 IQD 4,522

168.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €16.00

$7.89 IQD 11.9K

126.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$0.68 IQD 1,031

233.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.68 IQD 1,033

155.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.49 IQD 738

271.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$0.24 IQD 364

1020.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.27 IQD 410

555.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.32 IQD 482

506.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.60 IQD 911

143.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.52 IQD 779

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.95

$1.61 IQD 2,425

313.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

-47.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.48 IQD 2,237

-12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.86 IQD 2,810

15.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.35 IQD 523

557.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.36

$25.92 IQD 39.2K

69.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.56

$1.67 IQD 2,521

138.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.55 IQD 2,349

-58.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.92

$3.98 IQD 6,008

375.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.29 IQD 432

686.21%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$13.4K IQD 20.2M

149.98%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$15.4K IQD 23.3M

149.38%

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

$158 €141

$90.9 IQD 137.3K

74.08%

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

$17.54 €15.68

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

44.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.89

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

34.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.92

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

20.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.97

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

183.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.56

$6.54 IQD 9,880

46.48%

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

$674 €602

$295 IQD 445.5K

128.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$589 IQD 889.3K

3082.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$16.58 IQD 25.1K

516.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €41.04

$13.00 IQD 19.6K

253.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.4

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

72.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$16.06 IQD 24.3K

659.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,467

$212 IQD 319.8K

675.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,062

$139 IQD 210.0K

754.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,526

$374 IQD 564.8K

655.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,805

$314 IQD 475.0K

542.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €7,007

$868 IQD 1.3M

803.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,204

$491 IQD 741.2K

858.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,508

$522 IQD 788.5K

223.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

2.53

50.99%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Al-mawsil

$139 23.3% 88.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Al-mawsil

$133 22.3% 51.5% $141

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Al-mawsil

$65 10.8% 73.6% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Al-mawsil

$126 21.1% 39% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Al-mawsil

$47 7.9% 71.8% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4% 21.6% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Al-mawsil

$37 6.2% 39.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $212 in Al-mawsil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.2 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $11 in Al-mawsil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $133 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

23:59 11:59 PM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,683,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,690 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Al-mawsil 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Al-mawsil

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-mawsil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-mawsil is about 73% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3.2 times higher, 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $212 in Al-mawsil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $295 in Al-mawsil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $597 in Al-mawsil versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-mawsil but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Al-mawsil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Al-mawsil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.