Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Alexandria, Romania

Name: Alexandria
Address: Alexandria, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $866 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Alexandria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $866 in Alexandria.

Lisbon $2,210
Alexandria $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,322 in Alexandria.

Lisbon $3,275
Alexandria $1,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,778 in Alexandria.

Lisbon $4,341
Alexandria $1,778

Living in Lisbon is roughly 155% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Alexandria is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$8.43 RON 40.29

97.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$29.79 RON 142

107.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$7.52 RON 35.93

51.06%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.69 RON 8.09

75.74%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.75 RON 8.38

30.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.43 RON 6.85

21.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.07 RON 9.89

64.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.47 RON 11.80

34.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.43 RON 6.84

-18.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.87 RON 4.16

119.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.13 RON 5.41

33.63%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.11 RON 10.08

90.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$5.07 RON 24.24

155.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$4.41 RON 21.05

76.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$7.92 RON 37.87

124.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.91 RON 4.33

152.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.18 RON 5.64

46.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.97 RON 4.64

91.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.92 RON 4.38

181.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.65 RON 3.09

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.62 RON 2.94

217.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.75 RON 3.59

96.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.83 RON 3.95

-13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.29 RON 25.27

24.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.21 RON 24.89

7.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.95 RON 4.56

43.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.07 RON 5.10

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.65 RON 3.12

258.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$41.63 RON 199

7.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.43 RON 2.06

795.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.40 RON 1.91

167.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$5.33 RON 25.45

208.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.76 RON 8.42

25.00%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$16.5K RON 78.9K

107.21%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$22.4K RON 107.1K

72.85%

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

$161 €144

$116 RON 553

39.20%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$5.26 RON 25.15

250.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$7.55 RON 36.07

333.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$57.9 RON 277

-23.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$24.58 RON 117

-22.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.09 RON 29.12

57.64%

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

$668 €598

$318 RON 1,519

110.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,749 RON 32.2K

161.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$52.0 RON 248

96.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$22.29 RON 106

99.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$62.0 RON 296

58.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$63.6 RON 304

94.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$309 RON 1,475

421.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$242 RON 1,155

392.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$573 RON 2,739

390.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$411 RON 1,966

389.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$1,269 RON 6,064

517.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$793 RON 3,792

476.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$846 RON 4,043

86.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.73

-42.79%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Alexandria

$242 27.9% 79.7% $948

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Alexandria

$151 17.4% 44.7% $122

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Alexandria

$138 16% 43% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Alexandria

$129 14.9% 39.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Alexandria

$90 10.4% 45.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Alexandria

$70 8.1% 10% $6.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Alexandria

$47 5.4% 26.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $309 in Alexandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 86% 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 $30 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $151 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

22:06 10:06 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

45,434

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Alexandria 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 86% 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 $309 in Alexandria. 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 $866 in Alexandria – Alexandria is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria runs roughly 7% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Alexandria is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.