Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Budva

For one person, living is cheaper in Budva: $1,657 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Budva

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,657 in Budva, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Budva $1,657

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,645 in Budva, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Budva $2,645

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $3,632 in Budva, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Budva $3,632

Lisbon costs about 33% more than Budva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Budva sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Budva by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$15.79 €14.19

5.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$75.8 €68.1

-18.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.51 €12.14

-15.91%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.63 €3.26

-18.18%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.57 €2.31

-10.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.67 €1.50

4.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$4.87 €4.38

-30.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.36 €3.92

-24.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.28 €1.15

-9.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.07 €0.96

78.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.07 €1.86

-27.05%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.04 €2.73

32.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$8.62 €7.75

50.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$9.47 €8.50

-17.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$12.19 €10.96

45.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.33 €1.20

72.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.53 €1.38

21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.92 €2.62

-11.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.93 €0.83

95.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.11 €1.00

77.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.74 €1.56

-15.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.04 €0.94

-30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$4.50 €4.05

46.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$9.07 €8.15

-38.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.09 €0.98

24.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.89 €1.70

13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.26 €2.93

-28.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$39.24 €35.26

13.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.10 €0.99

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.09 €0.98

-1.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$16.74 €15.04

-1.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.79 €1.61

22.91%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$29.3K €26.3K

16.71%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.2K €23.5K

47.75%

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

$161 €145

$160 €144

0.61%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$14.43 €12.97

27.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$33.34 €29.95

-1.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$61.7 €55.5

-27.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$21.74 €19.53

-12.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.05 €5.44

58.68%

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

$668 €600

$408 €367

63.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.2K €9,158

72.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$106 €95.5

-3.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$44.55 €40.03

-0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$107 €95.9

-7.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$182 €163

-31.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$828 €744

94.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$614 €552

93.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$1,671 €1,502

68.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$1,213 €1,090

65.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$4,087 €3,672

91.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$2,973 €2,671

53.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,037 €932

51.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.95

-35.29%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Budva: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Budva

$614 37.1% 48.4% $576

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Budva

$243 14.7% 10.6% $29

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Budva

$261 15.7% 7.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Budva

$208 12.6% 2% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Budva

$198 11.9% 19.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Budva

$74 4.5% 15.8% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Budva

$59 3.6% 6.9% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $828 in Budva. 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 52% higher in Lisbon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $76 in Budva. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Lisbon vs $243 in Budva – so Budva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇪 Budva

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

13,338

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Budva 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Budva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,657 in Budva – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,485 in Budva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budva, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $828 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,657 in Budva. That’s a gap of about 33%.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Budva. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,657 in Budva, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Budva – 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 Budva. 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.