Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,374 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Asmara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,374 in Asmara.

Lisbon $2,202
Asmara $1,374

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,159 in Asmara.

Lisbon $3,274
Asmara $2,159

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,943 in Asmara.

Lisbon $4,346
Asmara $2,943

Living in Lisbon is roughly 60% more expensive than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Asmara 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$20.76 ERN 312

-17.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$33.78 ERN 507

84.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$6.02 ERN 90.5

83.06%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$0.77 ERN 11.61

305.19%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.02 ERN 15.37

122.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.97 ERN 14.59

79.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.61 ERN 9.20

460.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.56 ERN 23.41

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.26 ERN 33.95

-31.86%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.48 ERN 67.3

-9.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$2.93 ERN 43.95

340.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$27.11 ERN 407

-70.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$9.94 ERN 149

77.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$12.25 ERN 184

-81.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.26 ERN 18.86

38.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.03 ERN 30.53

-6.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.14 ERN 17.18

124.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.75 ERN 26.31

5.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.95 ERN 14.27

107.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.25 ERN 33.78

-65.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$11.98 ERN 180

-52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.98 ERN 14.71

39.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.03 ERN 15.43

104.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.14 ERN 2.10

1557.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$7.98 ERN 120

456.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.58 ERN 8.70

81.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$10.18 ERN 153

68.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.55 ERN 38.23

-14.12%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$67.7K ERN 1.0M

-50.07%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$70.9K ERN 1.1M

-46.01%

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

$164 €146

$25.48 ERN 383

542.90%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$68.1 ERN 1,023

-72.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$201 ERN 3,012

-83.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$26.63 ERN 400

72.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$4.86 ERN 73.1

284.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$1.22 ERN 18.28

699.18%

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

$684 €608

$24.87 ERN 374

2650.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$2,595 ERN 39.0K

579.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$137 ERN 2,060

-24.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$122 ERN 1,837

-62.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$197 ERN 2,964

-49.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$148 ERN 2,229

-15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$252 ERN 3,781

531.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$199 ERN 2,984

488.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$454 ERN 6,824

527.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$420 ERN 6,305

374.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,247 ERN 18.7K

525.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,481 ERN 37.3K

78.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-67.92%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Asmara

$199 14.5% 83% $970

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Asmara

$364 * 26.5% 33.5% $91

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Asmara

$204 * 14.9% 17.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Asmara

$294 21.4% 36.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Asmara

$272 19.8% 61.6% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 55.5% $36

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Asmara

$11 * 0.8% 81.8% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $252 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $34.00 in Asmara. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $364, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

23:03 11:03 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.89 ERN (100 ERN = 5.92 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Asmara 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Asmara differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,374 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $2,062 in Asmara 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $252 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 457% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $24.87 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,374 in Asmara versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Asmara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.