Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Galati

For one person, living is cheaper in Galati: $1,190 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Galati, Romania
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Galati
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,190
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Galati

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,190 in Galati, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Galati $1,190

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,683 in Galati, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Galati $1,683

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,176 in Galati, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Galati $2,176

Lisbon costs about 86% more than Galati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Galati is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Galati
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$10.62 RON 51.1
56.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$41.85 RON 201
47.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$7.37 RON 35.41
54.14%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$2.52 RON 12.11
17.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$2.10 RON 10.11
9.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.86 RON 8.95
-6.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$2.06 RON 9.92
65.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$3.18 RON 15.27
4.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Galati
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.19 RON 5.72
-2.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$0.70 RON 3.35
172.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.77 RON 8.51
-14.69%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$3.40 RON 16.36
18.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$7.49 RON 36.00
72.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$5.91 RON 28.39
31.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$8.54 RON 41.03
107.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$1.29 RON 6.18
78.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$1.61 RON 7.73
7.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$1.51 RON 7.26
23.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$1.76 RON 8.46
47.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$0.96 RON 4.60
89.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$1.01 RON 4.83
95.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.80 RON 3.86
83.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.67 RON 3.21
7.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$5.84 RON 28.06
12.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$5.31 RON 25.53
5.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$0.95 RON 4.56
43.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$1.18 RON 5.68
81.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Galati
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$0.77 RON 3.68
202.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$26.96 RON 130
65.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$0.60 RON 2.90
541.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.70 RON 3.37
52.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$7.10 RON 34.14
131.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.71 RON 8.23
28.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$28.5K RON 136.8K
20.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$24.7K RON 118.5K
57.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Galati
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$146 RON 701
10.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$7.61 RON 36.58
141.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$7.70 RON 37.00
325.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Galati
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$36.70 RON 176
21.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$34.89 RON 168
-45.26%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$6.24 RON 30.01
53.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Galati
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$601 RON 2,890
11.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$4,839 RON 23.3K
264.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Galati
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$97.2 RON 467
4.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$31.71 RON 152
40.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$60.9 RON 293
61.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$83.6 RON 402
47.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Galati
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$514 RON 2,472
212.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$471 RON 2,263
152.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$778 RON 3,737
261.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$550 RON 2,645
265.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$1,723 RON 8,281
354.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$1,324 RON 6,364
245.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Galati
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$911 RON 4,379
72.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
7.2
-46.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Galati: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Galati
$471 60.4% $719
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Galati
$182 33.2% $90
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Galati
$170 30% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Galati
$161 24.1% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Galati
$123 25.8% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Galati
$49 22.8% $15
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Galati
$34 46% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $514 in Galati. 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 73% 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 $42 in Galati. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $182 – making Galati the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇷🇴 Galati
🕒 Local time
20:22 8:22 PM
22:22 10:22 PM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
249,432
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Galati 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Galati

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 Galati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Lisbon and in Galati compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,190 in Galati – Galati comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Galati?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,785 in Galati. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Lisbon and Galati?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Galati, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $514 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Galati?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,190 in Galati. That makes Galati about 46% cheaper.
How do commuting costs compare in Lisbon and in Galati?
Public transport costs about 40% less in Galati. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Galati, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Galati it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Lisbon or Galati?
Families tend to lean toward Galati – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Lisbon or Galati safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Lisbon and Galati?
If budget matters most, go with Galati. 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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