Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Arendal

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,750 in Arendal, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. The total is higher in Arendal despite lower rent and utilities.

Lisbon, Portugal
Arendal, Norway
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Arendal
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,750
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Arendal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,750 in Arendal.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Arendal $2,750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,932 in Arendal.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Arendal $3,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,113 in Arendal.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Arendal $5,113

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 20% less than in Arendal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Arendal 102% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Arendal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$20.71 NOK 192
-19.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$67.1 NOK 624
-8.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$16.06 NOK 149
-29.27%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$5.51 NOK 51.2
-46.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$3.75 NOK 34.87
-38.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$3.42 NOK 31.76
-49.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$11.85 NOK 110
-71.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$10.58 NOK 98.3
-68.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Arendal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$2.49 NOK 23.14
-53.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$3.55 NOK 32.97
-46.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$4.01 NOK 37.24
-62.34%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$4.76 NOK 44.23
-15.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$14.98 NOK 139
-13.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$14.93 NOK 139
-47.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$34.94 NOK 325
-49.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$3.61 NOK 33.50
-36.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$2.75 NOK 25.55
-37.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$3.49 NOK 32.39
-46.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$4.99 NOK 46.34
-48.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$2.56 NOK 23.79
-28.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$3.16 NOK 29.34
-37.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$2.90 NOK 26.97
-49.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$2.42 NOK 22.53
-70.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$18.37 NOK 171
-64.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$15.07 NOK 140
-62.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$3.74 NOK 34.78
-63.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$4.45 NOK 41.31
-51.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Arendal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$3.78 NOK 35.12
-38.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$94.4 NOK 877
-52.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$6.36 NOK 59.1
-39.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.82 NOK 16.88
-41.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$108 NOK 1,007
-84.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$2.33 NOK 21.67
-5.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$49.6K NOK 461.2K
-31.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$41.7K NOK 387.5K
-7.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Arendal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$263 NOK 2,440
-38.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$34.00 NOK 316
-45.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$79.7 NOK 741
-58.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Arendal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$37.05 NOK 344
20.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$15.90 NOK 148
-39.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Arendal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$335 NOK 3,108
99.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$14.5K NOK 134.9K
21.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Arendal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$131 NOK 1,213
-21.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$44.64 NOK 415
-0.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$130 NOK 1,209
-24.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$210 NOK 1,948
-41.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Arendal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$1,159 NOK 10.8K
38.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$1,053 NOK 9,785
13.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$1,593 NOK 14.8K
76.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$1,518 NOK 14.1K
32.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$4,347 NOK 40.4K
80.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$3,230 NOK 30.0K
41.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Arendal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$4,235 NOK 39.3K
-62.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.68
-17.74%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Arendal: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Arendal
$1.1K 11.5% $137
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Arendal
$506 85.7% $233
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Arendal
$389 60.4% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Arendal
$376 77.3% $164
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Arendal
$232 39.7% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Arendal
$69 8% $5.1
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Arendal
$125 97.8% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,159 in Arendal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $67 in Arendal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $506 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇳🇴 Arendal
🕒 Local time
20:25 8:25 PM
21:25 9:25 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
46,406
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Arendal 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Arendal

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 Arendal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Arendal?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,750 in Arendal, so Lisbon is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Arendal?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,159 in Arendal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Arendal?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $335 in Arendal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Arendal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Arendal?
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.
Is Lisbon or Arendal safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Arendal are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Lisbon and Arendal?
It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Arendal on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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