Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Baia Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Baia Mare: $935 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Baia Mare
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Baia Mare Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Baia Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Baia Mare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $935 in Baia Mare.

Lisbon $2,210
Baia Mare $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,452 in Baia Mare.

Lisbon $3,275
Baia Mare $1,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,969 in Baia Mare.

Lisbon $4,341
Baia Mare $1,969

Living in Lisbon is roughly 136% more expensive than in Baia Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Baia Mare is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.87

$12.61 RON 60.1

32.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

$32.99 RON 157

87.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$8.16 RON 38.92

39.22%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.07 RON 9.86

43.48%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$1.81 RON 8.64

26.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.39 RON 6.63

25.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$1.61 RON 7.67

111.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.15 RON 10.23

53.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.45 RON 6.91

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.40 RON 6.70

36.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.54 RON 7.33

-1.95%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$2.82 RON 13.45

42.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.56

$5.92 RON 28.24

118.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$6.82 RON 32.50

13.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.86

$10.77 RON 51.3

64.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.08 RON 5.16

112.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.47 RON 6.99

17.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.37 RON 6.52

35.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.61 RON 12.45

-0.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.92 RON 4.39

97.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.08 RON 5.16

82.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.11 RON 5.30

32.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.81 RON 3.85

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.88

$6.12 RON 29.15

7.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$4.52 RON 21.53

24.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.05 RON 4.98

29.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.62 RON 7.72

32.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.71 RON 3.37

228.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

$14.38 RON 68.6

210.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

$0.77 RON 3.66

400.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.75 RON 3.55

42.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.70

$5.94 RON 28.34

177.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.73 RON 8.27

27.17%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$28.5K RON 136.0K

19.81%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$25.2K RON 119.9K

53.91%

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

$161 €144

$102 RON 488

57.52%

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

$18.41 €16.44

$15.11 RON 72.0

21.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.24

$11.75 RON 56.0

178.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.79

$37.40 RON 178

19.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

$16.21 RON 77.3

17.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.57

$10.01 RON 47.70

-4.10%

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

$668 €596

$520 RON 2,480

28.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$5,441 RON 25.9K

223.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$37.34 RON 178

173.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.72

$42.05 RON 200

5.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.0

$62.3 RON 297

58.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$74.7 RON 356

65.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,437

$368 RON 1,753

337.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,063

$255 RON 1,215

366.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,512

$582 RON 2,774

383.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,798

$440 RON 2,096

357.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,002

$2,187 RON 10.4K

258.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

$1,477 RON 7,041

209.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

$853 RON 4,069

84.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.48

-48.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Baia Mare: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Baia Mare

$255 27.3% 78.6% $935

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Baia Mare

$199 21.3% 26.8% $73

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Baia Mare

$175 18.7% 27.7% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Baia Mare

$129 13.8% 39.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Baia Mare

$97 10.4% 41.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Baia Mare

$57 6.1% 9.9% $6.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Baia Mare

$22 2.3% 65.7% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $368 in Baia Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 85% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $33 in Baia Mare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $199 per month, with Baia Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Baia Mare

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

12:38 12:38 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

123,738

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Baia Mare 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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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 Baia Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baia Mare is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 85% 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 $368 in Baia Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $520 in Baia Mare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Baia Mare are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Baia Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.