Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Constanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Constanta: $1,318 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Constanta
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Constanta Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Constanta

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Constanta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,318 in Constanta.

Lisbon $2,210
Constanta $1,318

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,960 in Constanta.

Lisbon $3,275
Constanta $1,960

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,603 in Constanta.

Lisbon $4,341
Constanta $2,603

Living in Lisbon is roughly 68% more expensive than in Constanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Constanta is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$12.62 RON 60.7

31.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$63.2 RON 304

-2.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.41 RON 35.61

53.31%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.27 RON 15.74

-9.17%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.79 RON 8.61

27.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.23 RON 5.90

41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.20 RON 10.59

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.21 RON 15.43

3.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.65 RON 7.91

-29.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.21 RON 5.83

57.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.63 RON 7.83

-7.36%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.89 RON 13.89

39.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$8.78 RON 42.20

47.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$5.79 RON 27.83

34.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$9.01 RON 43.32

97.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.36 RON 6.52

69.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.58 RON 7.57

9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.54 RON 7.39

20.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.58 RON 12.41

0.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.91 RON 4.37

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.97 RON 4.68

103.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.01 RON 4.86

45.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.83 RON 3.98

-13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.35 RON 30.51

3.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.21 RON 29.86

-9.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.00 RON 4.83

36.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.76 RON 8.45

21.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.62 RON 2.97

275.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$18.71 RON 89.9

138.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.88 RON 4.21

337.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.73 RON 3.52

46.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$7.24 RON 34.81

127.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.91 RON 9.19

15.18%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$28.8K RON 138.3K

18.86%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$25.3K RON 121.8K

52.84%

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

$161 €145

$169 RON 811

-4.46%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$7.47 RON 35.88

146.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$7.48 RON 35.94

337.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$52.1 RON 251

-14.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$13.45 RON 64.6

42.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.96 RON 33.45

37.93%

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

$668 €600

$552 RON 2,655

20.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,704 RON 37.0K

128.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$64.9 RON 312

57.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$45.42 RON 218

-2.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$87.5 RON 420

12.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$85.6 RON 412

44.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$691 RON 3,322

132.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$519 RON 2,495

129.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,051 RON 5,053

167.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$746 RON 3,585

169.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,582 RON 12.4K

203.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,968 RON 9,458

132.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$934 RON 4,489

68.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.99

-44.92%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Constanta: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Constanta

$519 39.4% 56.4% $671

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Constanta

$204 15.5% 25.1% $68

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Constanta

$192 14.6% 20.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Constanta

$184 13.9% 13.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Constanta

$128 9.7% 23.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Constanta

$66 5% 3.6% $2.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Constanta

$26 2% 59.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $691 in Constanta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 69% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $63 in Constanta. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $204, with Constanta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Constanta

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

23:18 11:18 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

283,872

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Constanta 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Constanta

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 Constanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Constanta is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 69% higher in Lisbon, 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 $691 in Constanta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $552 in Constanta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Constanta runs roughly 58% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,318 in Constanta versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Constanta but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Constanta 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 Constanta are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Constanta wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.