Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Busan: $1,798 a month against $2,239 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,239

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,798

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Busan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,239 in Lisbon versus $1,798 in Busan.

Lisbon $2,239
Busan $1,798

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,314 in Lisbon versus $2,951 in Busan.

Lisbon $3,314
Busan $2,951

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,389 in Lisbon versus $4,104 in Busan.

Lisbon $4,389
Busan $4,104

Living in Lisbon is roughly 25% more expensive than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 67% above, Busan 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 €15.41

$7.67 ₩10.2K

122.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 €56.0

$49.50 ₩66.0K

24.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 €10.03

$6.60 ₩8,809

68.03%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.89

$3.73 ₩4,982

-14.21%

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

$2.33 €2.11

$1.77 ₩2,365

31.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.59

$1.40 ₩1,875

25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €3.01

$3.80 ₩5,066

-12.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 €3.61

$4.37 ₩5,832

-8.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.29 ₩3,056

-51.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 €1.66

$3.14 ₩4,192

-41.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.39

$3.12 ₩4,159

-50.64%

Eggs

$4.05 €3.67

$2.62 ₩3,492

54.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 €11.90

$10.99 ₩14.7K

19.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.40 €7.60

$10.40 ₩13.9K

-19.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.95

$24.69 ₩32.9K

-28.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €2.06

$11.01 ₩14.7K

-79.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.60

$3.69 ₩4,929

-52.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 €1.63

$8.33 ₩11.1K

-78.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.40

$6.01 ₩8,019

-55.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$6.12 ₩8,171

-71.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.74

$3.34 ₩4,461

-42.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.33

$2.76 ₩3,681

-47.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.68

$1.34 ₩1,791

-44.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €6.01

$3.32 ₩4,433

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 €5.09

$18.81 ₩25.1K

-70.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.19

$2.38 ₩3,173

-44.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.88

$3.67 ₩4,899

-43.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.15

$1.15 ₩1,534

106.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.19 €40.88

$68.6 ₩91.5K

-34.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 €3.65

$3.61 ₩4,816

11.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.63 ₩844

9.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.45 €17.60

$14.96 ₩20.0K

30.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.08

$1.43 ₩1,906

60.84%

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

$33.6K €30.4K

$39.8K ₩53.1M

-15.72%

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

$38.4K €34.7K

$33.1K ₩44.1M

16.16%

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

$154 €139

$197 ₩262.5K

-21.95%

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

$17.15 €15.51

$36.58 ₩48.8K

-53.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.59 €28.58

$26.77 ₩35.7K

18.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 €42.39

$42.05 ₩56.1K

11.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.47 €19.43

$10.18 ₩13.6K

110.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.78 €8.85

$11.89 ₩15.9K

-17.75%

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

$668 €605

$639 ₩852.1K

4.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €17.0K

$22.1K ₩29.4M

-14.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €94.2

$106 ₩140.9K

-1.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.78 €41.42

$66.1 ₩88.1K

-30.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €91.3

$93.6 ₩124.9K

7.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €109

$126 ₩168.7K

-4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 €1,461

$742 ₩990.7K

117.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 €1,102

$563 ₩751.8K

116.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,843 €2,572

$2,181 ₩2.9M

30.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,046 €1,851

$1,399 ₩1.9M

46.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,895 €7,143

$5,334 ₩7.1M

48.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,808 €4,349

$3,295 ₩4.4M

45.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,773 €1,604

$2,595 ₩3.5M

-31.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.22

-9.48%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 8, 2026

Last update for Busan: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54.4%

Busan

$563 31.3% 53.8% $655

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$274 12.3%

Busan

$486 27% 77.2% $212

Eating Out

Lisbon

$249 11.1%

Busan

$166 9.3% 33.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$202 9%

Busan

$260 14.5% 28.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$167 7.5%

Busan

$176 9.8% 5.6% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Busan

$66 3.7% 0.9% $0.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$62 2.8%

Busan

$80 4.5% 28.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,615 in Lisbon and $742 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $49 in Busan. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $486, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

11:33 11:33 AM

9 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,586,079

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.905 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,481 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Busan 10,740 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Busan

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 Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busan wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Busan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,615 in Lisbon versus $742 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 34% less than in Busan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $639 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,798 in Busan versus $2,239 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Busan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Busan 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Busan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.