Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Alba Iulia

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $901 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
Learn more

Alba Iulia Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Alba Iulia

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 Alba Iulia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $901 in Alba Iulia.

Lisbon $2,210
Alba Iulia $901

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,378 in Alba Iulia.

Lisbon $3,275
Alba Iulia $1,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,855 in Alba Iulia.

Lisbon $4,341
Alba Iulia $1,855

Living in Lisbon is roughly 145% more expensive than in Alba Iulia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Alba Iulia is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$8.60 RON 41.32

93.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$30.98 RON 149

99.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$5.88 RON 28.25

93.20%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.28 RON 10.95

30.26%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.75 RON 8.43

30.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.48 RON 7.13

17.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.97 RON 9.45

72.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.04 RON 9.79

62.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.23 RON 5.91

-5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.08 RON 5.20

76.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.43 RON 6.86

5.59%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.69 RON 12.93

49.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$7.53 RON 36.17

71.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$6.03 RON 28.97

28.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$10.80 RON 51.9

64.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.92 RON 4.44

150.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.31 RON 6.29

32.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.26 RON 6.06

47.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.33 RON 11.20

11.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.72 RON 3.44

152.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.59 RON 2.83

233.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.87 RON 4.18

68.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.61 RON 2.92

18.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$5.18 RON 24.88

27.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$4.28 RON 20.56

31.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.12 RON 5.36

21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.27 RON 6.11

68.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.75 RON 3.60

210.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$16.98 RON 81.6

163.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.64 RON 3.06

501.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.63 RON 3.03

69.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$4.47 RON 21.46

268.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.50 RON 7.20

46.67%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$28.8K RON 138.4K

18.76%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$23.7K RON 114.1K

63.13%

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

$161 €145

$125 RON 598

29.46%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$7.31 RON 35.12

151.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$9.01 RON 43.29

263.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$29.55 RON 142

50.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$30.83 RON 148

-38.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$5.09 RON 24.44

88.61%

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

$668 €600

$435 RON 2,092

53.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,969 RON 33.5K

152.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$38.02 RON 183

168.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$23.94 RON 115

85.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$73.8 RON 355

33.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$61.7 RON 297

100.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$296 RON 1,422

443.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$283 RON 1,360

320.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$612 RON 2,941

359.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$478 RON 2,298

321.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$1,643 RON 7,894

377.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,401 RON 6,732

226.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$903 RON 4,340

74.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.97

-44.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4% 76.2% $907

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5% 32.2% $88

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6% 42% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6% 33.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9% 46.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4% 37.7% $24

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6% 62.4% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $296 in Alba Iulia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 74% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $31 in Alba Iulia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $185 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

22:27 10:27 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

63,536

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Alba Iulia 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Alba Iulia

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 Alba Iulia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $296 in Alba Iulia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $901 in Alba Iulia – Alba Iulia is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 62% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $901 in Alba Iulia versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia 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 Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.