Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cesis

For one person, living is cheaper in Cesis: $1,102 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Cesis
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Cesis Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Cesis

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cesis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,102 in Cesis.

Lisbon $2,223
Cesis $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,829 in Cesis.

Lisbon $3,271
Cesis $1,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,556 in Cesis.

Lisbon $4,319
Cesis $2,556

Living in Lisbon is roughly 102% more expensive than in Cesis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Cesis is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$16.49 €14.67

0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$66.9 €59.5

-8.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$9.00 €8.01

25.22%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.68 €3.28

-16.85%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.62 €1.44

39.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.18 €1.05

46.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.63 €5.00

-39.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.08 €4.52

-33.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.19 €1.06

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.48 €1.31

25.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.49 €2.21

-38.55%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.73 €2.43

45.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.66 €9.48

19.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$8.42 €7.49

-6.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$13.46 €11.98

26.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.06 €1.83

10.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.80 €1.60

-2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.47 €2.20

-25.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.97 €2.65

-13.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.82 €0.73

126.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.90 €0.80

124.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.73 €1.54

-16.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.92 €0.82

-10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.80 €6.05

-3.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$7.92 €7.05

-29.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.71 €1.52

-25.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.03 €1.80

1.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.28 €2.92

21.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.98 €0.87

11.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$17.96 €15.97

-7.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.04 €1.81

11.76%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$27.3K €24.3K

23.26%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$30.3K €27.0K

29.67%

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

$167 €149

$368 €328

-54.54%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$19.14 €17.02

-1.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$19.72 €17.54

67.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$11.34 €10.09

-13.23%

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

$677 €602

$683 €608

-0.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$18.2K €16.2K

-6.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$67.9 €60.4

49.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$51.0 €45.32

-10.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$84.6 €75.2

18.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$136 €121

-9.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$283 €252

603.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,095 €974

44.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.77

-19.29%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cesis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Cesis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Cesis

$259 23.5% 4% $11

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Cesis

$253 22.9% 4.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Cesis

$407 37% 85.7% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cesis

$153 13.9% 8.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Cesis

$23 * 2.1% 65.5% $43

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Cesis

$8.2 * 0.7% 87.1% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays 45% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $67.0 in Cesis. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $259, with Cesis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇻 Cesis

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

01:35 1:35 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

17,673

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Cesis 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Cesis

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 Cesis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cesis is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $683 in Cesis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cesis – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,102 in Cesis versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cesis but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cesis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cesis is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Cesis are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cesis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.