Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Erbil

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $958 in Erbil, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Erbil $958

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,427 in Erbil, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Erbil $1,427

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,896 in Erbil, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Erbil $1,896

Lisbon costs about 131% more than Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$6.42 IQD 9,704

159.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

68.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

53.31%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.24 IQD 4,889

-8.33%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.89 IQD 1,341

157.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.33 IQD 505

427.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-40.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.92 IQD 5,921

-15.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.07 IQD 1,611

8.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.67 IQD 1,019

185.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.52 IQD 2,303

-0.66%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.60 IQD 2,413

151.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

84.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.38 IQD 6,614

77.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

40.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.94 IQD 1,415

144.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.01 IQD 1,528

71.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.02 IQD 1,544

82.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.70 IQD 1,064

270.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.65 IQD 982

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.63 IQD 952

212.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.64 IQD 968

129.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.52 IQD 781

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.19 IQD 3,303

200.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

-48.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.45 IQD 2,191

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.79 IQD 2,712

19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.49 IQD 736

375.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

13.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.67 IQD 2,519

130.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-33.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$5.78 IQD 8,728

184.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.57 IQD 867

285.96%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

103.57%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

126.04%

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

$161 €144

$111 IQD 168.1K

44.93%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

50.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

33.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-21.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

41.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

-0.31%

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

$668 €598

$294 IQD 443.8K

127.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

546.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

281.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

15.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

61.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

106.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$426 IQD 643.6K

277.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$271 IQD 410.0K

338.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$699 IQD 1.1M

302.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$404 IQD 610.4K

398.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

670.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$615 IQD 929.8K

643.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$519 IQD 783.7K

203.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.53

52.17%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 77.2% $919

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 36.2% $99

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 36.6% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 30.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 49.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Erbil

$76 8% 19.6% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 19.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $426 in Erbil. 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 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $37 in Erbil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $174 – making Erbil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Erbil 4,630 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Erbil

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 Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 131%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,437 in Erbil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erbil, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $37 in Erbil. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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