Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,759 in Athens.

Lisbon $2,210
Athens $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,696 in Athens.

Lisbon $3,275
Athens $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,632 in Athens.

Lisbon $4,341
Athens $3,632

Living in Lisbon is roughly 26% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Athens 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$17.05 €15.27

-2.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$65.8 €59.0

-6.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$10.96 €9.81

3.65%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.10 €3.68

-27.56%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.83 €2.54

-19.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.59 €0.53

194.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.62 €5.04

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$5.67 €5.08

-41.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.90 €1.70

-38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.46 €1.31

30.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.71 €2.42

-44.28%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.04 €4.52

-20.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$15.08 €13.50

-14.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$10.28 €9.20

-24.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$19.40 €17.37

-8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.12 €1.90

8.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.91 €1.71

-9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.41 €1.26

31.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.13 €1.91

21.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.04 €0.94

75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.13 €1.01

74.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.13 €1.01

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.81 €0.73

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.52 €4.94

19.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.99 €8.95

-43.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.04 €1.82

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.28 €2.04

-6.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.31 €1.17

77.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$30.67 €27.47

45.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.37 €3.91

-11.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.03 €0.92

3.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$17.05 €15.27

-3.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.34 €2.10

-5.98%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$28.3K €25.3K

21.01%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.8K €24.0K

44.68%

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

$161 €144

$200 €179

-19.34%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$25.17 €22.55

-26.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$29.65 €26.56

10.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$50.4 €45.17

-11.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$25.94 €23.23

-26.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$10.52 €9.43

-8.75%

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

$668 €598

$576 €516

15.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$12.9K €11.6K

36.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$89.7 €80.3

13.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$39.57 €35.44

12.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$105 €94.4

-6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

-0.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$740 €663

117.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$643 €576

85.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,305 €1,169

115.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,121 €1,004

79.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$4,011 €3,593

95.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$3,284 €2,941

39.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,224 €1,096

28.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.48

-14.06%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Athens

$643 36.5% 46% $547

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Athens

$312 17.7% 14.6% $40

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Athens

$272 15.4% 12% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Athens

$255 14.5% 19.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Athens

$161 9.2% 2.7% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Athens

$71 4.1% 12.1% $7.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Athens

$45 2.6% 28.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $740 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $312 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

18:34 6:34 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Athens 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Athens

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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% 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 $740 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,759 in Athens – Athens is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,759 in Athens versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value at $1,759 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Athens wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.