Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Arad

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Arad

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $873 in Arad, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Arad $873

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,366 in Arad, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Arad $1,366

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $1,858 in Arad, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Arad $1,858

Lisbon costs about 155% more than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Arad is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$8.16 RON 38.63

102.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$32.35 RON 153

89.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.15 RON 33.83

57.62%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.63 RON 12.45

16.35%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.48 RON 7.00

52.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.59 RON 7.53

8.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.14 RON 10.15

58.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.48 RON 11.71

37.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.12 RON 5.32

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.22 RON 5.76

52.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.72 RON 8.16

-11.05%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.57 RON 12.17

54.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.17 RON 33.94

77.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$4.87 RON 23.03

62.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$10.13 RON 47.93

67.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.60 RON 7.59

41.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.70 RON 8.05

2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.69 RON 8.02

9.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.40 RON 6.60

83.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.76 RON 3.59

144.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.85 RON 4.04

137.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.18 RON 5.60

22.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.77 RON 3.63

6.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.95 RON 28.14

10.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.73 RON 27.10

-1.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.22 RON 5.78

4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.78 RON 8.40

16.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.87 RON 4.11

170.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$29.34 RON 139

50.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$0.79 RON 3.71

405.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.07 RON 5.06

1.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$10.40 RON 49.22

60.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.84 RON 8.72

23.91%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$27.8K RON 131.8K

20.92%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$24.9K RON 117.8K

57.75%

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

$167 €149

$125 RON 590

34.35%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$8.19 RON 38.74

129.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$7.28 RON 34.42

354.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$34.12 RON 161

34.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$30.83 RON 146

-37.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$5.27 RON 24.91

86.72%

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

$677 €602

$159 RON 752

326.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$3,847 RON 18.2K

339.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$42.29 RON 200

139.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$21.47 RON 102

113.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$70.9 RON 335

41.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$72.6 RON 343

69.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$332 RON 1,571

385.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$222 RON 1,052

438.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$529 RON 2,505

440.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$412 RON 1,951

382.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,420 RON 6,719

433.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,062 RON 5,027

305.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$919 RON 4,349

72.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.35

-47.62%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Arad

$222 25.5% 81.4% $975

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Arad

$188 21.5% 30.3% $82

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Arad

$146 16.8% 39.6% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Arad

$140 16% 36.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Arad

$93 10.7% 44% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Arad

$45 5.1% 32% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Arad

$39 4.5% 38.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $332 in Arad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 73% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $32.00 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $188 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

18:54 6:54 PM

20:54 8:54 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

159,074

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Arad 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Arad

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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 155% more than Arad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $1,310 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $32.00 in Arad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,223 in Lisbon and $873 in Arad. That's a gap of about 155%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arad costs $873 versus $2,223 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.