Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cagliari

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagliari: $1,750 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Cagliari
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Cagliari Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Cagliari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cagliari

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $1,750 in Cagliari, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Cagliari $1,750

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $2,736 in Cagliari, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Cagliari $2,736

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $3,723 in Cagliari, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Cagliari $3,723

Lisbon costs about 27% more than Cagliari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Cagliari sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Cagliari by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$22.30 €19.84

-26.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$84.1 €74.8

-27.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$11.01 €9.79

2.36%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.98 €1.76

54.55%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.28 €2.92

-31.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.53 €1.36

13.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.44 €4.83

-37.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.07 €4.51

-32.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.57 €1.40

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.71 €2.41

-31.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.82 €2.51

-45.74%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.80 €3.38

4.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$21.46 €19.09

-40.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$11.84 €10.53

-33.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$22.30 €19.83

-23.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.65 €2.36

-14.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.78 €1.59

-1.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.25 €2.00

-17.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.51 €3.12

-26.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.93 €1.72

-3.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.33 €2.07

-13.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.55 €1.38

-7.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.52 €0.46

57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$7.37 €6.55

-10.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$8.41 €7.48

-33.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.63 €1.45

-21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.82 €1.62

13.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.43 €1.27

64.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$38.13 €33.92

15.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$9.26 €8.23

-56.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.49 €1.32

-26.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$31.52 €28.04

-47.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.06 €1.83

10.68%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$35.7K €31.7K

-5.57%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$35.1K €31.2K

11.85%

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

$167 €149

$157 €140

6.54%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$9.07 €8.07

107.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$29.65 €26.38

11.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$51.0 €45.38

-9.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$24.59 €21.87

-21.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$11.31 €10.06

-13.00%

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

$677 €602

$525 €467

28.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$8,007 €7,122

111.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$94.1 €83.7

7.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$41.94 €37.31

9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$90.6 €80.6

10.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$115 €103

6.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$868 €772

85.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$613 €545

95.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,395 €1,241

105.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,006 €895

97.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,278 €2,916

131.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,315 €2,059

86.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,807 €1,607

-12.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.27

17.74%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cagliari: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Cagliari

$613 35% 48.8% $584

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Cagliari

$362 20.7% 34.3% $92

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Cagliari

$292 16.7% 20.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Cagliari

$196 11.2% 10.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cagliari

$154 8.8% 7.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Cagliari

$74 4.2% 12.1% $7.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Cagliari

$61 3.5% 3.9% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $868 in Cagliari. 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 14% higher in Cagliari, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $84.0 in Cagliari. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $362 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Cagliari

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

154,478

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Cagliari 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Cagliari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $2,625 in Cagliari. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cagliari, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Cagliari. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $677 per month in Lisbon and $525 in Cagliari. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cagliari, where all-in costs run around $1,750, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Cagliari it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cagliari – 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 Cagliari. 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.