Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Elk

For one person, living is cheaper in Elk: $1,224 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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 Elk
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Elk Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Elk

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Elk

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,224 in Elk, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Elk $1,224

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,852 in Elk, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Elk $1,852

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,479 in Elk, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Elk $2,479

Lisbon costs about 81% more than Elk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Elk is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$9.07 zł 35.91

83.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$41.16 zł 163

50.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.70 zł 30.48

47.53%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.01 zł 11.90

-1.33%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.00 zł 7.90

14.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.58 zł 6.25

10.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.48 zł 9.83

37.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.80 zł 15.02

-12.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.99 zł 3.92

17.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.26 zł 5.00

51.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.57 zł 6.23

-3.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.40 zł 9.50

67.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$4.48 zł 17.73

188.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$6.05 zł 23.96

28.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$13.77 zł 54.5

28.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.07 zł 4.25

114.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.64 zł 6.50

5.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.54 zł 6.11

20.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.14 zł 12.41

-17.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.87 zł 3.44

109.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.36 zł 5.39

44.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.51 zł 5.99

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.54 zł 2.12

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.45 zł 17.63

47.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$7.09 zł 28.06

-20.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.24 zł 4.92

9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.25 zł 4.95

71.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.69 zł 2.72

237.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$21.36 zł 84.5

109.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.06 zł 8.15

86.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.50 zł 1.97

114.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$6.23 zł 24.67

164.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.53 zł 6.07

43.79%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$30.2K zł 119.5K

13.24%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.8K zł 105.9K

44.71%

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

$161 €145

$186 zł 734

-13.12%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$6.97 zł 27.57

164.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$13.33 zł 52.8

145.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$28.98 zł 115

53.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$35.39 zł 140

-46.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.37 zł 25.21

50.71%

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

$668 €600

$299 zł 1,184

123.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,039 zł 19.9K

249.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$84.6 zł 335

20.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$25.74 zł 102

72.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$83.0 zł 329

18.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$116 zł 458

6.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$522 zł 2,065

208.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$442 zł 1,748

169.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$915 zł 3,620

207.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$772 zł 3,056

160.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,147 zł 8,498

265.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,891 zł 7,485

141.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,203 zł 4,760

30.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.21

-38.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Elk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Elk

$442 36.1% 62.9% $748

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Elk

$201 16.4% 26.1% $71

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Elk

$166 13.6% 31.5% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Elk

$206 16.8% 3.1% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Elk

$139 11.4% 16.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Elk

$42 3.4% 34.5% $22

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Elk

$29 2.3% 54.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $522 in Elk. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 31% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $41 in Elk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $201 – making Elk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇱 Elk

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

61,782

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 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 Elk 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Elk

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 Elk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,837 in Elk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $522 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $41 in Elk. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elk, where all-in costs run around $1,224, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Elk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elk – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Elk. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.