Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Arzamas

For one person, living is cheaper in Arzamas: $1,117 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
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Arzamas Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Arzamas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,117 in Arzamas.

Lisbon $2,210
Arzamas $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,737 in Arzamas.

Lisbon $3,275
Arzamas $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,357 in Arzamas.

Lisbon $4,341
Arzamas $2,357

Living in Lisbon is roughly 98% more expensive than in Arzamas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Arzamas is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.60 ₽1,015

32.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$38.36 ₽3,090

60.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$6.10 ₽491

86.23%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.65 ₽214

12.08%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.08 ₽86.9

112.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.66 ₽52.9

163.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.90 ₽153

78.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.22 ₽260

2.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.30 ₽105

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.79 ₽63.8

141.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.57 ₽127

-3.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.68 ₽136

139.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.96 ₽802

29.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$5.69 ₽458

36.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$12.43 ₽1,001

42.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.79 ₽144

28.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.79 ₽144

-3.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.58 ₽127

17.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.03 ₽244

-14.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.77 ₽61.9

136.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.54 ₽43.79

264.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.31 ₽105

12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.73 ₽59.0

-1.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.69 ₽216

144.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$8.28 ₽667

-32.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.20 ₽97.0

13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.06 ₽166

3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.51 ₽40.90

356.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$26.27 ₽2,115

70.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.27 ₽183

69.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.34 ₽27.10

214.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$5.64 ₽454

191.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.92 ₽74.5

139.13%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$60.6K ₽4.9M

-43.56%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$41.2K ₽3.3M

-5.97%

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

$161 €144

$143 ₽11.5K

13.02%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$7.06 ₽568

160.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$7.59 ₽611

331.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$36.06 ₽2,904

23.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$25.44 ₽2,049

-24.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.94 ₽559

38.33%

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

$668 €598

$373 ₽30.1K

78.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,263 ₽584.9K

142.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$76.4 ₽6,156

33.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$51.3 ₽4,128

-13.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$116 ₽9,369

-15.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$113 ₽9,109

9.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$303 ₽24.4K

429.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$328 ₽26.4K

262.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$497 ₽40.0K

466.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$596 ₽48.0K

237.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,238 ₽180.2K

250.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,752 ₽141.1K

161.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

21.45

-82.05%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Arzamas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Arzamas

$328 29.4% 72.4% $862

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Arzamas

$215 19.2% 21.1% $57

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Arzamas

$174 15.6% 28.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Arzamas

$157 14.1% 25.9% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Arzamas

$161 14.4% 3.1% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Arzamas

$50 4.5% 21.7% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Arzamas

$32 2.9% 49% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $303 in Arzamas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $38 in Arzamas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $215 per month, with Arzamas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🕒 Local time

00:57 12:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

103,396

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Arzamas 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Arzamas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,117 in Arzamas, so Arzamas is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,676 in Arzamas to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $303 in Arzamas. 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 $1,117 in Arzamas – Arzamas is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arzamas runs roughly 41% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,117 in Arzamas versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arzamas but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Arzamas 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 Arzamas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.