Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Békéscsaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Békéscsaba: $1,125 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Békéscsaba
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,125
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Békéscsaba

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $1,125 in Békéscsaba, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Békéscsaba $1,125

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $1,647 in Békéscsaba, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Békéscsaba $1,647

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $2,169 in Békéscsaba, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Békéscsaba $2,169

Lisbon costs about 96% more than Békéscsaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Békéscsaba is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Békéscsaba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$9.00 Ft 2,906
89.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$45.36 Ft 14.7K
37.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$5.51 Ft 1,779
100.00%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$2.22 Ft 718
40.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.38 Ft 446
64.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.88 Ft 286
97.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$1.10 Ft 354
210.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$1.22 Ft 395
206.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Békéscsaba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.20 Ft 387
-2.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.47 Ft 475
26.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$2.19 Ft 706
-29.68%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$3.23 Ft 1,044
25.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$9.88 Ft 3,193
30.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$6.75 Ft 2,182
17.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$14.52 Ft 4,692
21.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$1.94 Ft 628
16.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$2.04 Ft 659
-14.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$1.58 Ft 509
19.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$2.86 Ft 924
-10.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$1.00 Ft 323
85.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.01 Ft 326
95.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.06 Ft 344
36.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.48 Ft 155
60.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$7.97 Ft 2,575
-15.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$3.08 Ft 995
84.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.05 Ft 338
30.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$2.13 Ft 690
-0.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Békéscsaba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$1.27 Ft 410
82.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$2.73 Ft 883
44.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$1.33 Ft 431
-21.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$6.28 Ft 2,028
173.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.85 Ft 599
18.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$28.7K Ft 9.3M
17.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$34.6K Ft 11.2M
10.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Békéscsaba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$174 Ft 56.1K
-5.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$23.76 Ft 7,675
-22.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$21.51 Ft 6,949
53.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Békéscsaba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$33.92 Ft 11.0K
35.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$9.47 Ft 3,058
2.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Békéscsaba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$548 Ft 176.9K
24.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$17.1K Ft 5.5M
3.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Békéscsaba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$99.1 Ft 32.0K
4.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$31.41 Ft 10.1K
47.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$61.5 Ft 19.9K
62.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$118 Ft 38.2K
5.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Békéscsaba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$425 Ft 137.5K
273.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$338 Ft 109.3K
245.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$557 Ft 179.9K
411.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$435 Ft 140.6K
358.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$1,526 Ft 493.1K
410.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$1,197 Ft 386.7K
269.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Békéscsaba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
$1,398 Ft 451.8K
14.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
6.45
-40.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Békéscsaba: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Békéscsaba
$338 71.1% $831
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Békéscsaba
$229 16.3% $44
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Békéscsaba
$132 46.6% $115
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Békéscsaba
$219 1.7% $3.6
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Békéscsaba
$140 17.1% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Békéscsaba
$53 19.1% $13
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Békéscsaba
$14 * 77% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $425 in Békéscsaba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $45.00 in Békéscsaba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $229 – making Békéscsaba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇭🇺 Békéscsaba
🕒 Local time
15:53 3:53 PM
16:53 4:53 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
54,460
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Békéscsaba 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Békéscsaba

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 Békéscsaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Békéscsaba?
Lisbon costs about 96% more than Békéscsaba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Lisbon and in Békéscsaba?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $1,687 in Békéscsaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Lisbon or Békéscsaba?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Békéscsaba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Lisbon and in Békéscsaba?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $45.00 in Békéscsaba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Lisbon or in Békéscsaba?
Groceries cost about 19% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Lisbon or in Békéscsaba?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Békéscsaba, where all-in costs run around $1,125, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Békéscsaba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Lisbon or Békéscsaba?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Békéscsaba costs $1,125 versus $2,202 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Lisbon compared to Békéscsaba?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Lisbon or to Békéscsaba?
If budget matters most, go with Békéscsaba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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