Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bender

For one person, living is cheaper in Bender: $663 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Bender
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Bender Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bender

🇲🇩 Moldova

$663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bender

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $663 in Bender, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Bender $663

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $960 in Bender, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Bender $960

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,256 in Bender, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Bender $1,256

Lisbon costs about 233% more than Bender, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Bender is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$6.36 MDL 113

161.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$17.87 MDL 319

245.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$5.55 MDL 99.1

104.68%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.23 MDL 21.88

141.46%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.98 MDL 17.58

133.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.51 MDL 9.12

241.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$0.88 MDL 15.66

286.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.69 MDL 30.18

95.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.91 MDL 16.24

27.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.45 MDL 8.02

324.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.42 MDL 25.34

6.34%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.96 MDL 34.93

105.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$3.94 MDL 70.3

228.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$4.26 MDL 76.0

82.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$5.19 MDL 92.6

242.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.81 MDL 14.51

183.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.79 MDL 31.95

-3.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.86 MDL 33.25

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.85 MDL 33.00

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.70 MDL 12.51

160.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.56 MDL 9.94

251.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.55 MDL 9.76

167.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.76 MDL 13.53

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$2.77 MDL 49.44

137.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$2.49 MDL 44.38

125.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.55 MDL 9.81

147.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.90 MDL 33.90

12.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.37 MDL 6.62

529.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.25 MDL 40.12

71.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.27 MDL 4.77

296.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$5.16 MDL 92.1

218.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.36 MDL 24.24

61.76%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$29.3K MDL 522.8K

16.73%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$28.3K MDL 504.8K

36.93%

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

$161 €145

$235 MDL 4,195

-31.41%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$9.45 MDL 169

94.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$10.15 MDL 181

222.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.35 MDL 149

14.97%

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

$668 €600

$437 MDL 7,801

52.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,822 MDL 103.9K

202.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$78.0 MDL 1,392

30.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$47.04 MDL 840

-5.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$111 MDL 1,985

-11.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$114 MDL 2,031

8.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$306 MDL 5,463

425.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$311 MDL 5,544

407.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

9.17

-58.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bender: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bender

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bender

$133 20.1% 51.1% $139

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bender

$96 14.5% 60.4% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bender

$255 38.4% 19.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bender

$157 23.8% 5.1% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bender

$17 * 2.5% 73.8% $47

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bender

$5.1 * 0.8% 92% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $306 in Bender. 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 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $18 in Bender. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $133 – making Bender the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇩 Bender

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

97,027

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MDL = 5.6 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Bender 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bender

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 Bender: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 233%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $995 in Bender. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bender, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $306 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $18 in Bender. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 104% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bender, where all-in costs run around $663, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Bender it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bender – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Bender. 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.