Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Carthage

For one person, living is cheaper in Carthage: $693 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Carthage, Tunisia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Carthage
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$693
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Carthage

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $693 in Carthage.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Carthage $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,103 in Carthage.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Carthage $1,103

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,513 in Carthage.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Carthage $1,513

Living in Lisbon is roughly 219% more expensive than in Carthage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Carthage is 49% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Carthage
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$4.56 TND 13.69
265.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$22.10 TND 66.4
179.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$5.84 TND 17.54
94.52%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$1.12 TND 3.36
165.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.74 TND 2.21
209.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.29 TND 0.88
500.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$1.71 TND 5.15
98.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$1.96 TND 5.88
68.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Carthage
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.48 TND 1.45
141.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$0.26 TND 0.78
634.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.71 TND 5.13
-11.70%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$1.73 TND 5.20
132.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$10.21 TND 30.66
26.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$5.92 TND 17.79
31.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$14.61 TND 43.90
21.56%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.36 TND 4.07
69.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$3.61 TND 10.84
-52.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.16 TND 3.48
60.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$0.77 TND 2.32
236.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.83 TND 2.50
119.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.69 TND 2.07
185.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.53 TND 1.58
177.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.31 TND 0.93
132.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$3.75 TND 11.28
75.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$6.67 TND 20.04
-15.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.22 TND 3.68
11.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.30 TND 3.90
64.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Carthage
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$0.41 TND 1.22
468.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
$13.59 TND 40.83
228.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$0.33 TND 0.99
1066.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.35 TND 1.06
205.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$1.79 TND 5.37
819.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$0.84 TND 2.52
161.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$39.0K TND 117.3K
-12.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$35.8K TND 107.5K
8.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Carthage
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$45.26 TND 136
256.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$8.90 TND 26.74
106.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$20.82 TND 62.6
57.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Carthage
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
$31.89 TND 95.8
39.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
$13.15 TND 39.51
45.25%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$4.95 TND 14.87
93.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Carthage
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$107 TND 321
525.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$3,149 TND 9,462
459.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Carthage
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$43.81 TND 132
132.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$60.7 TND 182
-26.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$113 TND 338
-12.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$67.8 TND 204
82.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Carthage
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
$204 TND 613
688.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$153 TND 460
677.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$206 TND 620
1263.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
$276 TND 830
628.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
$972 TND 2,922
706.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
$616 TND 1,851
642.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Carthage
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$264 TND 793
497.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
10.65
-63.85%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Carthage: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Carthage
$153 87.1% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Carthage
$194 28.8% $78
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Carthage
$84 65.4% $159
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Carthage
$75 64.7% $137
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Carthage
$128 22.7% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Carthage
$42 34.4% $22
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Carthage
$17 72.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $204 in Carthage. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $22 in Carthage for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $194 per month, with Carthage cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇳 Carthage
🕒 Local time
23:13 11:13 PM
00:13 12:13 AM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
21,276
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Carthage 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Carthage

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 Carthage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Carthage?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $693 in Carthage, so Carthage is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Carthage?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Carthage?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $204 in Carthage. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Carthage – a meal for two runs $22 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $693 in Carthage versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Carthage but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Carthage the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Carthage?
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.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Carthage?
Expats usually find Carthage gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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