Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bissau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $814 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bissau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $814 in Bissau.

Lisbon $2,206
Bissau $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,314 in Bissau.

Lisbon $3,276
Bissau $1,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,813 in Bissau.

Lisbon $4,346
Bissau $1,813

Living in Lisbon is roughly 171% more expensive than in Bissau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Bissau is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.02

$5.01 F CFA 2,923

236.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

136.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$9.31 F CFA 5,435

17.94%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.71 F CFA 1,001

78.36%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.05 F CFA 611

117.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.87 F CFA 509

93.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$0.71 F CFA 416

384.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.68 F CFA 982

-31.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.91 F CFA 533

107.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

-25.00%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$5.08 F CFA 2,965

-18.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.59

$14.22 F CFA 8,306

-8.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.17

$13.39 F CFA 7,819

-39.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.94

$13.77 F CFA 8,042

29.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.14 F CFA 2,415

-45.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.04 F CFA 605

67.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$4.27 F CFA 2,496

-57.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$0.18 F CFA 104

1394.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.33 F CFA 777

33.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.37 F CFA 800

41.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.26 F CFA 734

-39.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$6.78 F CFA 3,958

-16.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.31 F CFA 766

-1.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$0.86 F CFA 504

148.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.52 F CFA 304

342.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

73.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.43 F CFA 833

59.44%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

3.83%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

33.13%

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

$158 €141

$103 F CFA 60.3K

53.28%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

-48.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.78

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

-32.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.77

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

5.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

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

$674 €600

$759 F CFA 443.4K

-11.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

714.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$516 F CFA 301.4K

217.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

$168 F CFA 97.9K

608.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,516

$843 F CFA 492.4K

235.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,798

$431 F CFA 251.8K

368.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

$1,042 F CFA 608.6K

61.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bissau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bissau

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Bissau

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Bissau

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Bissau

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Bissau

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bissau

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Bissau

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $516 in Bissau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 62% 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: $61 in Lisbon vs $26 in Bissau. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $294, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇼 Bissau

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

395,954 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Bissau 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bissau

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 Bissau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $814 in Bissau, so Bissau is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $516 in Bissau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $759 in Bissau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $814 in Bissau versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Bissau wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.