Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cha-am

For one person, living is cheaper in Cha-am: $871 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 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 Cha-am
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Cha-am Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cha-am

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 Cha-am actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $871 in Cha-am.

Lisbon $2,210
Cha-am $871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,405 in Cha-am.

Lisbon $3,275
Cha-am $1,405

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,940 in Cha-am.

Lisbon $4,341
Cha-am $1,940

Living in Lisbon is roughly 154% more expensive than in Cha-am, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Cha-am is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$2.98 ฿101

458.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$22.18 ฿748

178.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$7.35 ฿248

54.56%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.01 ฿68.0

47.76%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.69 ฿23.33

231.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.35 ฿11.68

397.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.44 ฿82.3

39.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.93 ฿98.9

12.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.74 ฿58.6

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.47 ฿49.73

29.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.33 ฿44.92

13.53%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.87 ฿63.2

114.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$12.37 ฿418

4.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$2.53 ฿85.2

207.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$9.97 ฿336

78.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.37 ฿114

-31.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.21 ฿40.99

42.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.90 ฿64.0

-2.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.81 ฿61.1

43.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.74 ฿58.7

4.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.08 ฿36.60

82.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.20 ฿40.51

22.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.44 ฿14.80

63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.26 ฿144

54.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$17.95 ฿606

-68.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.67 ฿56.4

-18.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.86 ฿96.5

-25.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.91 ฿30.60

156.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$22.60 ฿763

97.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.34 ฿45.26

187.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.08 ฿36.47

-0.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$3.61 ฿122

355.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.37 ฿46.38

60.58%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$16.3K ฿551.3K

109.33%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.5K ฿892.8K

46.38%

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

$161 €144

$80.9 ฿2,731

99.26%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$11.74 ฿396

56.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$23.19 ฿783

41.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$23.97 ฿809

85.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$5.88 ฿198

224.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.70 ฿226

43.28%

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

$668 €598

$615 ฿20.8K

8.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.6K ฿358.6K

65.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$51.0 ฿1,721

100.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$28.67 ฿968

55.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$72.2 ฿2,437

36.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$53.1 ฿1,790

133.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$368 ฿12.4K

337.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$267 ฿9,015

345.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$752 ฿25.4K

273.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$651 ฿22.0K

209.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$362 ฿12.2K

335.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.96

-35.40%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cha-am: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cha-am

$267 30.7% 77.6% $923

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cha-am

$233 26.7% 14.5% $40

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 62% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cha-am

$116 13.3% 45.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 44.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cha-am

$37 4.3% 41.4% $26

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cha-am

$33 3.8% 47.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $368 in Cha-am. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $22 in Cha-am for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $233 per month, with Cha-am cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

20:40 8:40 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

31,354

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Cha-am 10,710 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Cha-am

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 Cha-am: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $871 in Cha-am, so Cha-am is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 4.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $368 in Cha-am. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $871 in Cha-am – Cha-am is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cha-am runs roughly 49% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $871 in Cha-am versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cha-am but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cha-am the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Cha-am are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Cha-am gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.