Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bishkek

For one person, living is cheaper in Bishkek: $977 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Bishkek
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
$977
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bishkek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $977 in Bishkek.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Bishkek $977

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,505 in Bishkek.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Bishkek $1,505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,032 in Bishkek.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Bishkek $2,032

Living in Lisbon is roughly 126% more expensive than in Bishkek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Bishkek is 28% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Bishkek
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.92
$6.80 KGS 595
144.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$29.12 KGS 2,547
112.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.18
$5.70 KGS 499
99.30%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$2.45 KGS 215
21.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.75 KGS 65.8
205.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.41 KGS 35.69
324.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$1.39 KGS 121
144.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$1.92 KGS 168
72.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Bishkek
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.03 KGS 89.9
12.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$0.41 KGS 36.15
365.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.73 KGS 151
-12.72%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$1.76 KGS 154
128.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$7.73 KGS 676
67.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.97
$4.62 KGS 404
68.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.92
$8.74 KGS 764
103.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.42 KGS 124
61.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.83 KGS 160
-5.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.01 KGS 176
-7.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$1.56 KGS 137
66.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.61 KGS 53.4
198.36%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.51 KGS 44.33
286.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.71 KGS 62.3
107.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.57 KGS 49.86
26.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$2.07 KGS 181
217.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$9.05 KGS 792
-38.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.37 KGS 120
-0.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.93 KGS 169
10.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Bishkek
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$0.24 KGS 21.01
870.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.04
$11.55 KGS 1,010
286.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$0.89 KGS 78.2
332.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.44 KGS 38.34
143.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.75
$5.56 KGS 486
196.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$0.98 KGS 85.6
124.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$29.8K KGS 2.6M
14.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$33.2K KGS 2.9M
16.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Bishkek
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$49.36 KGS 4,317
226.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.50
$5.75 KGS 503
220.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.34
$11.91 KGS 1,042
174.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Bishkek
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.92
$53.9 KGS 4,712
-17.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.11
$14.66 KGS 1,282
30.29%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$5.59 KGS 489
71.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Bishkek
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$217 KGS 19.0K
207.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$7,810 KGS 683.1K
125.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Bishkek
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$56.3 KGS 4,923
81.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.85
$43.87 KGS 3,837
1.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.3
$91.8 KGS 8,026
7.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$89.9 KGS 7,861
37.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Bishkek
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,441
$599 KGS 52.4K
168.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$410 KGS 35.9K
190.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,520
$1,030 KGS 90.0K
173.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,804
$718 KGS 62.8K
180.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,025
$1,811 KGS 158.4K
332.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,100
$1,209 KGS 105.8K
278.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Bishkek
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$498 KGS 43.5K
216.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
20.1
-80.85%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bishkek: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Bishkek
$410 65.5% $780
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Bishkek
$176 35.3% $96
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Bishkek
$116 52% $126
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Bishkek
$67 68.4% $145
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Bishkek
$127 23.6% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Bishkek
$65 2.1% $1.3
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Bishkek
$16 75.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $599 in Bishkek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $29 in Bishkek for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $176 per month, with Bishkek cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇰🇬 Bishkek
🕒 Local time
02:34 2:34 AM
08:34 8:34 AM
6 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
1,012,500 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 87.46 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.66 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Bishkek 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Bishkek

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 Bishkek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bishkek cheaper than Lisbon?
Bishkek is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Lisbon or Bishkek?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 3.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Lisbon and Bishkek?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $599 in Bishkek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $217 in Bishkek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Lisbon and in Bishkek?
Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is Lisbon or Bishkek more family-friendly?
For families, Bishkek 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.
Which city is safer, Lisbon or Bishkek?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Bishkek are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Bishkek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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