Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ben Arous

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $692 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Ben Arous, Tunisia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Ben Arous
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$692
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ben Arous

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $692 in Ben Arous, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Ben Arous $692

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,093 in Ben Arous, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Ben Arous $1,093

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,494 in Ben Arous, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Ben Arous $1,494

Lisbon costs about 219% more than Ben Arous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Ben Arous is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Ben Arous
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.92
$5.29 TND 15.91
214.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$19.75 TND 59.4
212.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.18
$4.88 TND 14.68
132.79%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$1.18 TND 3.55
151.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.65 TND 1.95
252.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.25 TND 0.75
596.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$1.62 TND 4.86
109.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$1.98 TND 5.93
67.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Ben Arous
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.48 TND 1.43
141.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$0.10 TND 0.30
1810.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.62 TND 4.85
-6.79%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$1.41 TND 4.24
185.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$10.39 TND 31.21
24.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.97
$5.86 TND 17.61
32.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.92
$16.99 TND 51.0
4.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.66 TND 4.97
38.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$4.44 TND 13.35
-61.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$0.94 TND 2.82
97.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$0.75 TND 2.26
245.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.85 TND 2.54
114.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.65 TND 1.97
203.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.48 TND 1.43
206.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.31 TND 0.92
132.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$3.52 TND 10.56
86.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$6.61 TND 19.86
-15.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$0.96 TND 2.89
41.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.23 TND 3.69
73.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Ben Arous
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$0.38 TND 1.15
513.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.04
$13.41 TND 40.30
233.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$0.29 TND 0.86
1227.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.29 TND 0.86
268.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.75
$1.83 TND 5.51
799.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$0.80 TND 2.40
175.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$39.3K TND 118.0K
-12.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$22.7K TND 68.1K
70.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Ben Arous
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$54.1 TND 163
198.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.50
$10.23 TND 30.74
79.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.34
$20.21 TND 60.7
62.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Ben Arous
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.92
$32.52 TND 97.7
36.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.11
$16.90 TND 50.8
13.02%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$5.03 TND 15.10
90.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Ben Arous
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$62.2 TND 187
974.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$1,924 TND 5,779
815.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Ben Arous
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$43.82 TND 132
132.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.85
$61.2 TND 184
-27.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.3
$86.3 TND 259
14.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$46.70 TND 140
164.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Ben Arous
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,441
$208 TND 624
674.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$152 TND 458
680.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,520
$379 TND 1,140
641.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,804
$269 TND 808
648.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,025
$909 TND 2,731
762.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,100
$419 TND 1,260
990.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Ben Arous
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$249 TND 747
533.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
10.5
-63.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ben Arous: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Ben Arous
$152 87.2% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Ben Arous
$202 25.9% $71
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Ben Arous
$87 64.2% $156
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Ben Arous
$85 60.2% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Ben Arous
$107 35.4% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Ben Arous
$43 33.2% $21
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Ben Arous
$17 73.6% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $208 in Ben Arous. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $20 in Ben Arous. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $202 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇳 Ben Arous
🕒 Local time
04:02 4:02 AM
05:02 5:02 AM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
88,322
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Ben Arous 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Ben Arous

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 Ben Arous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Lisbon and in Ben Arous compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $692 in Ben Arous – Ben Arous comes out roughly 69% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Ben Arous?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,038 in Ben Arous. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Lisbon and Ben Arous?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ben Arous, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $20 in Ben Arous. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Ben Arous?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $692 in Ben Arous. That makes Ben Arous about 69% cheaper.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Ben Arous it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Lisbon or Ben Arous?
Families tend to lean toward Ben Arous – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Lisbon or Ben Arous safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Lisbon and Ben Arous?
If budget matters most, go with Ben Arous. If higher salaries 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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