Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Drama

For one person, living is cheaper in Drama: $1,219 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Drama
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Drama Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Drama

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Drama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,219 in Drama.

Lisbon $2,210
Drama $1,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,825 in Drama.

Lisbon $3,275
Drama $1,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,430 in Drama.

Lisbon $4,341
Drama $2,430

Living in Lisbon is roughly 81% more expensive than in Drama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Drama is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.73 €14.99

-0.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$44.79 €40.14

37.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.31 €10.14

0.44%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.55 €2.28

16.47%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.26 €2.03

1.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.75 €0.68

132.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.29 €2.95

3.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.48 €4.02

-26.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.67 €1.49

-30.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.79 €1.60

6.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.14 €1.02

32.46%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.23 €4.69

-23.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.98 €12.53

-7.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.34 €8.37

-16.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$13.95 €12.50

27.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.42 €1.27

61.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.37 €1.23

26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.17 €1.04

58.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.10 €1.88

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.92 €0.83

97.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.21 €1.09

62.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.53 €1.37

-3.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.88 €0.79

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.13 €4.59

28.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.68 €5.09

-1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.02 €0.91

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.96 €1.76

9.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.28 €3.84

-10.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.14 €1.02

-6.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$16.73 €15.00

-1.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.22 €1.99

-0.90%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$28.4K €25.4K

20.44%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$28.2K €25.3K

37.25%

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

$161 €144

$191 €171

-15.42%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$22.90 €20.52

-19.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$30.29 €27.14

8.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$42.64 €38.21

4.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.02 €8.09

6.43%

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

$668 €598

$447 €401

49.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$9,012 €8,075

95.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$97.8 €87.6

4.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$22.45 €20.12

98.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$59.2 €53.1

66.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$66.0 €59.2

87.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$355 €318

353.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$295 €265

303.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$624 €559

350.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$445 €399

352.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,503 €1,347

421.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$3,215 €2,881

42.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,125 €1,008

40.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.27

-9.84%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Drama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Drama

$295 24.2% 75.2% $895

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Drama

$263 21.6% 3.3% $9.1

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Drama

$236 19.4% 2.8% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Drama

$244 20% 14.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Drama

$110 9.1% 33.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Drama

$61 5% 4.8% $3.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Drama

$10 * 0.8% 84.2% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $355 in Drama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 40% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $45 in Drama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $263 per month, with Drama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇷 Drama

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

42,501

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Drama 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Drama

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 Drama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drama is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% 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 $355 in Drama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $447 in Drama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Drama – a meal for two runs $45 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,219 in Drama versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Drama but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Drama 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 Drama are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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