Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and El Kef

For one person, living is cheaper in El Kef: $614 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
El Kef, Tunisia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
El Kef
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in El Kef

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $614 in El Kef, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • El Kef $614

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $964 in El Kef, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • El Kef $964

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,315 in El Kef, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • El Kef $1,315

Lisbon costs about 260% more than El Kef, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while El Kef is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
El Kef
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$5.48 TND 16.47
203.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$13.42 TND 40.33
360.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$4.61 TND 13.85
146.42%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$0.69 TND 2.06
330.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.51 TND 1.54
349.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.24 TND 0.72
625.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$0.88 TND 2.65
286.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$0.99 TND 2.99
234.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
El Kef
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.46 TND 1.39
152.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$0.19 TND 0.58
905.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.86 TND 5.58
-18.82%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$1.47 TND 4.43
173.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$14.59 TND 43.83
-11.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$6.26 TND 18.82
24.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$15.12 TND 45.44
17.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.67 TND 5.02
37.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.67 TND 5.01
3.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.03 TND 3.09
80.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$0.61 TND 1.85
324.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.41 TND 1.24
343.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.16 TND 0.47
1131.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.48 TND 1.45
206.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.31 TND 0.94
132.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$3.39 TND 10.20
94.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$4.34 TND 13.03
29.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$0.65 TND 1.95
109.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.00 TND 2.99
114.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
El Kef
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$0.32 TND 0.97
628.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
$10.25 TND 30.81
335.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$0.29 TND 0.87
1227.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.29 TND 0.87
268.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$4.04 TND 12.13
307.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$0.77 TND 2.33
185.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$39.6K TND 119.0K
-13.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$37.2K TND 111.7K
4.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
El Kef
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$26.84 TND 80.6
500.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$10.40 TND 31.26
77.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$14.31 TND 42.98
128.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
El Kef
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
$27.31 TND 82.1
63.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
$12.59 TND 37.83
51.71%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$3.35 TND 10.06
186.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
El Kef
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$61.1 TND 184
992.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$1,944 TND 5,841
806.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
El Kef
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$23.19 TND 69.7
339.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$68.6 TND 206
-35.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$40.51 TND 122
143.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$76.5 TND 230
61.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
El Kef
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
$208 TND 624
673.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$158 TND 476
651.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$370 TND 1,113
659.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
$270 TND 810
646.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
$938 TND 2,818
735.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
$619 TND 1,859
639.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
El Kef
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$171 TND 513
822.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
11
-65.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for El Kef: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
El Kef
$158 86.7% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
El Kef
$187 31.3% $85
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
El Kef
$75 69% $167
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
El Kef
$52 75.7% $161
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
El Kef
$94 43.4% $72
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
El Kef
$34 46.6% $30
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
El Kef
$13 79% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $208 in El Kef. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 9.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $13 in El Kef. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $187 – making El Kef the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇳 El Kef
🕒 Local time
19:18 7:18 PM
20:18 8:18 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
73,710
💱 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 El Kef 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • El Kef

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 El Kef: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is El Kef cheaper than Lisbon?
Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 260%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $920 in El Kef. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in El Kef, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 77% less in El Kef. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $61 in El Kef. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Lisbon or in El Kef?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in El Kef, where all-in costs run around $614, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In El Kef it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Lisbon or El Kef more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward El Kef – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Lisbon or El Kef?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with El Kef. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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