Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bar

For one person, living is cheaper in Bar: $1,244 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Bar
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Bar Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bar

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,244 in Bar.

Lisbon $2,210
Bar $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,947 in Bar.

Lisbon $3,275
Bar $1,947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,651 in Bar.

Lisbon $4,341
Bar $2,651

Living in Lisbon is roughly 78% more expensive than in Bar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Bar is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$11.32 €10.17

47.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$47.24 €42.43

30.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.88 €8.87

14.98%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.75 €2.47

8.00%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.14 €1.92

7.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.88 €1.69

-7.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.83 €2.54

20.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.13 €2.81

5.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.18 €1.06

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.28 €1.15

49.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.59 €2.33

-41.70%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.16 €2.83

27.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$8.60 €7.73

50.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$7.83 €7.03

-0.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$11.49 €10.32

54.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.37 €1.23

67.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.98 €1.78

-12.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.57 €1.41

18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.66 €2.39

-2.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.98 €0.88

85.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.01 €0.91

95.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.11 €1.90

-30.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.91 €0.82

-20.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.45 €4.00

47.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$7.88 €7.08

-28.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.88 €0.79

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.32 €1.19

62.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.27 €2.04

2.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$22.57 €20.27

97.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.18 €1.96

76.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.14 €1.02

-6.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$13.83 €12.42

19.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.70 €1.53

29.41%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$31.1K €27.9K

9.97%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$28.5K €25.6K

35.67%

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

$161 €145

$110 €98.8

46.55%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$15.95 €14.33

15.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$29.70 €26.68

10.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$43.49 €39.07

2.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$14.38 €12.92

32.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$4.36 €3.91

120.18%

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

$668 €600

$314 €282

112.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,979 €6,269

152.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$62.2 €55.9

63.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$28.86 €25.92

54.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$94.7 €85.1

3.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$113 €102

9.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$630 €566

155.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$440 €395

170.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,169 €1,050

140.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$823 €740

144.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,915 €2,618

168.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,132 €1,915

114.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$987 €887

59.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-23.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bar

$440 35.3% 63.1% $751

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bar

$233 18.7% 14.6% $40

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bar

$190 15.3% 21.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bar

$156 12.5% 26.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bar

$134 10.8% 19% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bar

$52 4.2% 18.1% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bar

$40 3.2% 37.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $630 in Bar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 60% 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 $47 in Bar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $233 per month, with Bar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇪 Bar

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

14:01 2:01 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

17,727

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Bar 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bar

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 Bar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bar wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 60% 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 $630 in Bar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $314 in Bar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Bar is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Bar 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 Bar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.