Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bistrita

For one person, living is cheaper in Bistrita: $849 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Bistrita
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Bistrita Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bistrita

🇷🇴 Romania

$849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bistrita

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $849 in Bistrita, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Bistrita $849

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,284 in Bistrita, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Bistrita $1,284

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,720 in Bistrita, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Bistrita $1,720

Lisbon costs about 160% more than Bistrita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Bistrita is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$6.29 RON 30.05

164.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$31.15 RON 149

98.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$6.30 RON 30.09

80.32%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.22 RON 10.61

33.78%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.63 RON 7.79

40.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.35 RON 6.47

28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.06 RON 9.83

65.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.17 RON 15.13

4.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.23 RON 5.86

-5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.05 RON 5.03

81.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.04 RON 4.97

45.19%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.57 RON 12.30

56.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$6.21 RON 29.69

108.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$5.99 RON 28.64

29.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$11.03 RON 52.7

61.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.87 RON 4.17

164.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.44 RON 6.90

20.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.55 RON 7.41

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.02 RON 9.66

28.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.76 RON 3.63

139.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.64 RON 3.07

207.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.03 RON 4.92

42.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.63 RON 2.99

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.37 RON 25.64

22.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.38 RON 25.73

4.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.91 RON 4.34

49.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.07 RON 5.12

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.44 RON 2.09

429.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$21.03 RON 101

112.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.69 RON 3.32

457.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.74 RON 3.55

44.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$7.35 RON 35.13

123.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.54 RON 7.35

42.86%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.3K RON 130.6K

25.12%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$24.1K RON 115.2K

60.66%

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

$161 €144

$175 RON 835

-7.77%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$5.75 RON 27.46

220.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$6.00 RON 28.67

445.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$39.70 RON 190

12.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$30.80 RON 147

-37.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.19 RON 29.59

55.09%

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

$668 €598

$305 RON 1,457

119.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,850 RON 42.3K

99.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$37.24 RON 178

173.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$26.70 RON 128

66.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$63.0 RON 301

56.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$74.2 RON 354

66.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$217 RON 1,037

641.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$187 RON 894

536.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$393 RON 1,876

616.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$309 RON 1,478

550.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$1,477 RON 7,060

430.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,155 RON 5,517

296.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$985 RON 4,709

59.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.73

-42.79%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bistrita: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bistrita

$187 22% 84.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bistrita

$181 21.3% 33.6% $91

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bistrita

$124 14.7% 48.7% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bistrita

$187 22% 12.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bistrita

$91 10.7% 45.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bistrita

$52 6.1% 18.3% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bistrita

$27 3.2% 57% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $217 in Bistrita. 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 60% 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 in Lisbon versus $31 in Bistrita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $181 – making Bistrita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Bistrita

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

75,076

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Bistrita 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Bistrita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 160% more than Bistrita, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,273 in Bistrita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bistrita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $217 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $31 in Bistrita. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $849 in Bistrita. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bistrita. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.