Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Elista

For one person, living is cheaper in Elista: $946 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Elista, Russia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Elista
🇷🇺 Russia
$946
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Elista

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $946 in Elista, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Elista $946

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,491 in Elista, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Elista $1,491

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,036 in Elista, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Elista $2,036

Lisbon costs about 134% more than Elista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Elista is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Elista
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$7.01 ₽565
137.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$50.5 ₽4,069
22.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$6.46 ₽521
75.85%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$2.72 ₽219
9.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$1.02 ₽82.5
124.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.60 ₽48.05
190.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$1.17 ₽94.0
190.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$1.82 ₽147
81.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Elista
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.04 ₽83.7
11.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$0.57 ₽45.76
235.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.16 ₽93.4
30.17%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$1.45 ₽117
177.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$7.70 ₽621
68.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$4.73 ₽381
64.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$11.99 ₽967
48.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$1.29 ₽104
78.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$1.51 ₽122
14.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$1.45 ₽117
28.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$2.65 ₽214
-2.26%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$0.74 ₽59.8
145.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$0.48 ₽38.75
310.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.38 ₽30.74
286.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.68 ₽54.7
5.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$2.93 ₽236
124.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$9.49 ₽765
-40.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.13 ₽90.8
20.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$2.02 ₽163
5.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Elista
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$0.57 ₽45.97
308.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$25.45 ₽2,053
75.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$2.24 ₽180
71.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.36 ₽29.31
197.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$3.77 ₽304
336.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$0.90 ₽72.7
144.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$26.9K ₽2.2M
27.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$32.3K ₽2.6M
19.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Elista
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$85.5 ₽6,895
88.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$6.57 ₽530
180.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$7.81 ₽629
319.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Elista
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$37.64 ₽3,036
18.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$24.99 ₽2,016
-23.57%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$4.39 ₽354
118.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Elista
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$348 ₽28.1K
91.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$5,865 ₽473.0K
200.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Elista
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$84.8 ₽6,835
20.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$53.4 ₽4,306
-16.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$55.1 ₽4,442
78.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$109 ₽8,766
13.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Elista
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$479 ₽38.6K
235.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$323 ₽26.0K
268.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$924 ₽74.6K
204.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$515 ₽41.6K
290.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$2,037 ₽164.3K
284.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$1,345 ₽108.5K
240.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Elista
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$374 ₽30.1K
321.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
21.33
-81.95%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Elista: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Elista
$323 72.9% $867
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Elista
$185 32% $87
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Elista
$124 48.9% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Elista
$100 53% $112
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Elista
$136 18.1% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Elista
$46 27.2% $17
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Elista
$32 49.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $479 in Elista. 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 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $50 in Elista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $185 – making Elista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇷🇺 Elista
🕒 Local time
20:26 8:26 PM
23:26 11:26 PM
3 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
103,219
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Elista 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Elista

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 Elista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Elista cheaper than Lisbon?
Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 134%, 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 $1,419 in Elista. 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 Elista, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $479 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $348 in Elista. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Lisbon and in Elista?
Groceries cost about 47% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is Lisbon or Elista more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Elista – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Elista. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?