Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Elblag

For one person, living is cheaper in Elblag: $1,457 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Elblag
Learn more

Elblag Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Elblag

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Elblag

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,457 in Elblag.

Lisbon $2,210
Elblag $1,457

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,110 in Elblag.

Lisbon $3,275
Elblag $2,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,762 in Elblag.

Lisbon $4,341
Elblag $2,762

Living in Lisbon is roughly 52% more expensive than in Elblag, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Elblag 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.10 zł 47.82

37.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$27.08 zł 107

127.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$7.47 zł 29.52

52.07%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.53 zł 13.94

-15.86%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.17 zł 8.58

5.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.64 zł 6.50

6.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.13 zł 12.38

8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.76 zł 14.85

-11.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.99 zł 3.93

17.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.62 zł 6.40

17.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.91 zł 3.60

65.93%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.70 zł 14.63

8.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.91 zł 35.22

45.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$6.94 zł 27.43

11.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$11.75 zł 46.47

51.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.36 zł 5.36

69.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.73 zł 6.83

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.60 zł 6.34

16.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.20 zł 12.63

-19.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.75 zł 2.95

142.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.32 zł 5.20

49.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.15 zł 4.56

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.53 zł 2.11

35.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.21 zł 16.63

56.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.50 zł 25.69

-13.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.53 zł 2.08

156.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.35 zł 5.34

58.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.01 zł 3.98

130.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$24.69 zł 97.6

80.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.10 zł 8.30

83.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.78 zł 3.10

37.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$10.19 zł 40.29

61.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.53 zł 6.06

43.79%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$30.8K zł 121.9K

10.91%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$25.3K zł 100.1K

52.86%

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

$161 €144

$283 zł 1,120

-43.08%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$8.14 zł 32.19

126.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$13.81 zł 54.6

137.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$42.10 zł 166

5.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$21.62 zł 85.5

-11.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.47 zł 21.60

75.50%

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

$668 €598

$323 zł 1,278

106.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,952 zł 7,715

802.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$80.7 zł 319

26.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$36.60 zł 145

21.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$87.3 zł 345

12.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$98.4 zł 389

25.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$604 zł 2,388

166.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$513 zł 2,028

132.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$992 zł 3,923

183.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$896 zł 3,540

124.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,130 zł 8,420

268.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,224 zł 8,791

105.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,295 zł 5,118

21.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.89

-44.12%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Elblag: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Elblag

$513 35.2% 56.9% $677

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Elblag

$215 14.8% 21% $57

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Elblag

$200 13.7% 17.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Elblag

$305 20.9% 43.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Elblag

$136 9.4% 17.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Elblag

$53 3.6% 16.8% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Elblag

$35 2.4% 45% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $604 in Elblag. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 22% 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 $27 in Elblag for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $215 per month, with Elblag cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇱 Elblag

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

02:42 2:42 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

122,899

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Elblag 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Elblag

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 Elblag: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elblag is about 34% 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 22% 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 $604 in Elblag. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Elblag – a meal for two runs $27 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Elblag are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Elblag gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.