Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,016 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
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Calafat Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,016

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Calafat

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

A single person spends $2,206 per month in Lisbon vs $1,016 in Calafat, rent included.

Lisbon $2,206
Calafat $1,016

A couple spends around $3,276 per month in Lisbon vs $1,499 in Calafat, rent included.

Lisbon $3,276
Calafat $1,499

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $1,982 in Calafat, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Calafat $1,982

Lisbon costs about 117% more than Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 63% above the global median, while Calafat is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$7.35 RON 34.96

129.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$38.38 RON 182

59.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$7.21 RON 34.26

52.29%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$2.14 RON 10.15

42.52%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.44 RON 6.83

58.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.87 RON 4.12

93.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.08 RON 5.12

218.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$1.83 RON 8.72

113.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.12 RON 5.31

2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.76 RON 3.63

148.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.35 RON 6.40

11.11%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.33 RON 11.07

76.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$6.69 RON 31.81

94.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$6.35 RON 30.16

26.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$6.24 RON 29.64

186.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.01 RON 4.80

124.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.49 RON 7.08

16.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.28 RON 6.06

42.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.44 RON 6.85

86.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.60 RON 2.86

195.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.75 RON 3.57

158.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.69 RON 3.28

111.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.71 RON 3.38

7.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$5.31 RON 25.22

25.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$6.27 RON 29.80

-10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.88 RON 4.16

46.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.45 RON 6.91

47.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.75 RON 3.55

206.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$22.34 RON 106

97.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$0.53 RON 2.53

650.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.51 RON 2.42

25.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$9.77 RON 46.44

93.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.51 RON 7.16

50.99%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$25.5K RON 121.0K

31.07%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$25.5K RON 121.2K

50.97%

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

$158 €141

$214 RON 1,018

-26.16%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$7.55 RON 35.90

132.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$6.33 RON 30.07

392.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$37.82 RON 180

18.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

$19.06 RON 90.6

-0.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$7.40 RON 35.17

29.46%

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

$674 €599

$412 RON 1,960

63.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$8,151 RON 38.7K

129.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$63.5 RON 302

60.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$42.04 RON 200

9.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$84.2 RON 400

21.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$83.5 RON 397

46.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$380 RON 1,806

331.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$294 RON 1,399

303.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$617 RON 2,931

358.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$468 RON 2,223

331.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$1,910 RON 9,080

310.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$1,190 RON 5,658

294.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

$812 RON 3,860

107.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

-36.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Calafat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Calafat

$294 29% 75.2% $893

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Calafat

$165 16.2% 40% $110

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Calafat

$124 12.3% 49.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Calafat

$228 22.5% 10.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Calafat

$123 12.1% 26.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Calafat

$53 5.2% 17.5% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Calafat

$28 2.8% 53% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Lisbon versus $380 in Calafat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 2.1 times higher, 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 $61 in Lisbon versus $38 in Calafat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $165 – making Calafat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

18,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Calafat 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon, $1,016 in Calafat – Calafat comes out roughly 54% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,309 per month in Lisbon and $1,523 in Calafat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calafat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $380 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,016 in Calafat. That makes Calafat about 54% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Calafat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Calafat, where all-in costs run around $1,016, than in Lisbon at $2,206. In Calafat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calafat – 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 Calafat. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.