Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Braila

For one person, living is cheaper in Braila: $1,143 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Braila
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Braila Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Braila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Braila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,143 in Braila.

Lisbon $2,210
Braila $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,725 in Braila.

Lisbon $3,275
Braila $1,725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,308 in Braila.

Lisbon $4,341
Braila $2,308

Living in Lisbon is roughly 93% more expensive than in Braila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Braila is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$18.68 RON 89.4

-10.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$39.07 RON 187

58.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.78 RON 41.98

29.38%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.63 RON 12.58

12.93%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.06 RON 9.85

11.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.70 RON 8.14

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.63 RON 7.79

108.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.08 RON 9.94

59.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.82 RON 8.70

-36.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.42 RON 6.80

34.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.47 RON 7.05

2.72%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.36 RON 16.09

19.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.71 RON 41.67

48.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$7.65 RON 36.58

1.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$9.51 RON 45.50

86.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.95 RON 4.53

142.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.46 RON 6.96

18.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.30 RON 6.23

43.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.15 RON 5.50

125.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.84 RON 4.04

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.72 RON 3.46

173.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.68 RON 3.25

116.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.79 RON 3.76

-8.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.16 RON 29.46

6.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.19 RON 29.64

-9.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.02 RON 4.87

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.56 RON 7.45

37.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.61 RON 2.91

281.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$15.47 RON 74.0

188.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.03 RON 4.94

273.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.72 RON 3.46

48.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$6.77 RON 32.38

143.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.58 RON 7.58

39.24%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$26.8K RON 128.1K

27.72%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$29.7K RON 142.0K

30.46%

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

$161 €144

$138 RON 661

16.65%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$8.19 RON 39.16

124.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$12.91 RON 61.8

153.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$32.14 RON 154

38.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$14.83 RON 70.9

28.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.27 RON 34.80

32.05%

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

$668 €598

$366 RON 1,751

82.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,266 RON 39.5K

113.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$100 RON 479

1.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$60.5 RON 289

-26.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$91.3 RON 437

7.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$123 RON 589

0.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$376 RON 1,800

327.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$305 RON 1,460

290.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$536 RON 2,565

424.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$446 RON 2,135

351.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,880 RON 8,994

316.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,304 RON 6,238

250.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$851 RON 4,070

85.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.3

-53.61%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Braila: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Braila

$305 26.7% 74.4% $885

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Braila

$206 18% 24.4% $67

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Braila

$235 20.5% 3.3% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Braila

$159 13.9% 25% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Braila

$169 14.8% 1.7% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Braila

$47 4.1% 26.7% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Braila

$23 2% 64.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $376 in Braila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 85% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $39 in Braila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $206 per month, with Braila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Braila

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

180,302

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Braila 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Braila

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 Braila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Braila wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Braila the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $376 in Braila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braila runs roughly 65% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $366 in Braila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Braila is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Braila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.