Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Carei

For one person, living is cheaper in Carei: $982 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Carei
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Carei Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Carei

🇷🇴 Romania

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Carei

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $982 in Carei, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Carei $982

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,492 in Carei, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Carei $1,492

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $2,001 in Carei, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Carei $2,001

Lisbon costs about 126% more than Carei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Carei is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$9.03 RON 42.71

82.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$39.88 RON 189

53.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.16 RON 33.87

57.40%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.31 RON 10.91

32.47%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.93 RON 9.11

17.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.52 RON 7.18

13.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.07 RON 9.77

63.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.54 RON 12.02

33.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.37 RON 6.49

-18.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.15 RON 5.43

61.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.41 RON 6.65

8.51%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.92 RON 13.83

35.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.68 RON 36.34

66.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$6.16 RON 29.17

28.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$9.69 RON 45.84

75.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.10 RON 5.21

106.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.45 RON 6.87

20.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.43 RON 6.75

29.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.04 RON 9.63

25.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.80 RON 3.77

132.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.79 RON 3.74

155.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.87 RON 4.10

65.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.81 RON 3.84

1.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.78 RON 27.37

13.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.38 RON 30.17

-11.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.07 RON 5.04

19.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.59 RON 7.53

30.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.75 RON 3.56

213.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$21.70 RON 103

103.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$0.71 RON 3.34

461.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.70 RON 3.33

55.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$6.98 RON 33.00

138.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.81 RON 8.59

25.97%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$28.5K RON 134.7K

18.26%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$25.5K RON 120.6K

54.09%

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

$167 €149

$138 RON 653

21.37%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$7.84 RON 37.11

139.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$8.05 RON 38.09

311.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$37.36 RON 177

23.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$20.18 RON 95.5

-4.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.98 RON 33.04

40.97%

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

$677 €602

$417 RON 1,971

62.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$6,823 RON 32.3K

147.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$60.4 RON 286

67.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$35.63 RON 169

28.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$76.1 RON 360

31.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$83.2 RON 394

47.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$384 RON 1,815

320.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$289 RON 1,367

314.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$600 RON 2,839

376.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$448 RON 2,121

343.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,878 RON 8,885

303.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,331 RON 6,297

223.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.97

-44.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Carei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Carei

$289 29.4% 75.9% $908

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Carei

$194 19.8% 28% $75

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Carei

$151 15.3% 37.9% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Carei

$154 15.7% 29.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Carei

$115 11.7% 30.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Carei

$51 5.2% 21.9% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Carei

$29 3% 54.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $384 in Carei. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $40.00 in Carei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $194 – making Carei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Carei

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

25,911

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Carei 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Carei

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 Carei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 126% more than Carei, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $1,474 in Carei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 39% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $40.00 in Carei. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Carei, where all-in costs run around $982, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Carei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Carei costs $982 versus $2,223 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Carei. 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.