Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Calarasi, Romania

Name: Calarasi
Address: Calarasi, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $884 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$884

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Calarasi

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $884 in Calarasi, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Calarasi $884

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,366 in Calarasi, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Calarasi $1,366

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,848 in Calarasi, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Calarasi $1,848

Lisbon costs about 150% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Calarasi is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.87

$8.87 RON 42.27

87.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

$33.46 RON 160

84.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$7.54 RON 35.94

50.66%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.08 RON 9.89

42.79%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$1.83 RON 8.73

25.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.72 RON 8.18

1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$1.53 RON 7.30

122.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$1.44 RON 6.89

129.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.45 RON 6.90

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.92 RON 4.39

107.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.49 RON 7.08

1.34%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$2.71 RON 12.92

48.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.56

$7.58 RON 36.15

70.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$4.30 RON 20.50

80.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.86

$8.38 RON 39.94

111.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.09 RON 5.18

111.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.38 RON 6.60

25.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.23 RON 5.88

51.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.45 RON 6.91

78.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.44 RON 2.07

313.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.62 RON 2.95

217.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.44 RON 2.09

234.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.81 RON 3.86

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.88

$6.19 RON 29.50

6.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$4.23 RON 20.18

32.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.98 RON 4.67

38.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.38 RON 6.56

55.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.41 RON 1.93

468.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

$12.30 RON 58.6

263.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

$0.60 RON 2.87

541.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.61 RON 2.89

75.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.70

$6.34 RON 30.20

159.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.62 RON 7.74

35.80%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$28.3K RON 135.1K

20.61%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$25.1K RON 119.6K

54.33%

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

$161 €144

$163 RON 777

-1.13%

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

$18.41 €16.44

$6.16 RON 29.35

198.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.24

$6.51 RON 31.05

402.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.79

$47.78 RON 228

-6.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

$51.6 RON 246

-63.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.57

$8.22 RON 39.17

16.79%

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

$668 €596

$375 RON 1,786

78.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$5,713 RON 27.2K

208.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$73.5 RON 350

38.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.72

$20.65 RON 98.4

115.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.0

$89.8 RON 428

9.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$95.9 RON 457

28.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,437

$313 RON 1,493

413.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,063

$191 RON 912

522.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,512

$413 RON 1,968

581.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,798

$327 RON 1,558

515.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,002

$1,190 RON 5,671

558.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

$965 RON 4,600

374.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

$728 RON 3,472

116.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.85

-50.96%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Calarasi

$191 21.6% 83.9% $999

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Calarasi

$166 18.8% 39.1% $106

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Calarasi

$143 16.2% 41% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Calarasi

$176 19.9% 17.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Calarasi

$126 14.3% 24.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Calarasi

$64 7.3% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Calarasi

$18 2% 72.2% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $313 in Calarasi. 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 2.2 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $33 in Calarasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $166 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

65,181

💱 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 Calarasi 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Calarasi

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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $884 in Calarasi – Calarasi comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,326 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $313 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $375 in Calarasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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