Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bangkok

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangkok: $1,112 a month against $2,202 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bangkok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,112 in Bangkok.

Lisbon $2,202
Bangkok $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,788 in Bangkok.

Lisbon $3,274
Bangkok $1,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,464 in Bangkok.

Lisbon $4,346
Bangkok $2,464

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.95 ฿98.7

477.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$35.13 ฿1,174

77.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$7.33 ฿245

50.34%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.73 ฿91.3

14.29%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.62 ฿20.78

266.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.36 ฿12.17

383.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.63 ฿87.9

30.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.35 ฿145

-14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.85 ฿61.8

-36.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.51 ฿50.5

23.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.34 ฿44.72

14.93%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.62 ฿87.4

54.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$17.10 ฿572

-24.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.67 ฿123

115.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.83 ฿429

37.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.73 ฿125

-39.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.74 ฿58.2

0.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.79 ฿93.2

-32.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.88 ฿62.9

36.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.75 ฿58.4

5.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.49 ฿49.68

32.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.24 ฿41.51

16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.55 ฿18.22

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.73 ฿158

41.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$15.10 ฿505

-62.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.77 ฿59.0

-22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.18 ฿106

-33.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.11 ฿37.19

109.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$34.46 ฿1,152

28.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.06 ฿35.47

272.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.15 ฿38.60

-8.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$5.81 ฿194

195.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.41 ฿47.14

55.32%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$31.7K ฿1.1M

6.43%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$26.6K ฿887.8K

44.04%

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

$164 €146

$108 ฿3,612

51.56%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$15.14 ฿506

22.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$18.15 ฿607

81.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$55.6 ฿1,857

-17.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$18.54 ฿620

0.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$7.82 ฿261

24.68%

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

$684 €608

$569 ฿19.0K

20.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$16.7K ฿557.0K

5.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$70.9 ฿2,371

46.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$42.61 ฿1,424

8.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$101 ฿3,361

-0.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$107 ฿3,560

17.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$673 ฿22.5K

136.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$333 ฿11.1K

250.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,982 ฿66.2K

43.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$732 ฿24.5K

172.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$6,236 ฿208.4K

24.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,096 ฿103.5K

42.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$626 ฿20.9K

155.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.25

-26.67%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bangkok: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Bangkok

$333 30% 71.5% $836

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Bangkok

$272 24.5% 0.2% $0.7

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Bangkok

$104 9.4% 57.9% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Bangkok

$141 12.7% 34.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Bangkok

$144 13% 14.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Bangkok

$71 6.4% 8.9% $5.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bangkok

$46 4.1% 27.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $673 in Bangkok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 156% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $35.00 in Bangkok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $272 per month, with Bangkok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

6 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

5,666,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Bangkok 10,680 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Bangkok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Bangkok differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,112 including rent). Bangkok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 156% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $673 in Bangkok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bangkok – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $1,112 in Bangkok – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,112 in Bangkok versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bangkok but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bangkok 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 Bangkok 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 Bangkok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.