Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
Learn more

Hawassa Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Hawassa

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $834 in Hawassa, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Hawassa $834

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,199 in Hawassa, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Hawassa $1,199

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $1,564 in Hawassa, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Hawassa $1,564

Lisbon costs about 166% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Hawassa is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$3.90 ETB 625

323.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$42.11 ETB 6,758

45.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$6.56 ETB 1,054

71.80%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$0.95 ETB 153

222.11%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.63 ETB 102

258.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.69 ETB 110

150.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$0.83 ETB 133

308.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.30 ETB 370

47.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.07 ETB 172

4.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.17 ETB 188

58.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.01 ETB 163

51.49%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.58 ETB 253

150.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.40 ETB 1,188

72.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$10.07 ETB 1,616

-21.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$9.09 ETB 1,458

86.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$5.35 ETB 859

-57.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$0.68 ETB 109

157.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.13 ETB 341

-13.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$0.66 ETB 106

289.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.50 ETB 80.5

272.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.06 ETB 169

90.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.69 ETB 110

108.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.57 ETB 91.3

43.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$8.18 ETB 1,312

-19.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.55 ETB 891

1.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.66 ETB 106

93.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.28 ETB 206

61.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.31 ETB 210

204.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.27 ETB 42.86

303.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$2.03 ETB 326

719.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.92 ETB 147

147.83%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

-38.33%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

-30.30%

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

$167 €149

$202 ETB 32.5K

-17.16%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$7.21 ETB 1,158

160.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$213 ETB 34.2K

-84.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$3.84 ETB 616

156.25%

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

$677 €602

$136 ETB 21.9K

396.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

-44.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$33.37 ETB 5,356

203.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

-35.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

27.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

46.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$494 ETB 79.3K

771.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

18.5

-79.19%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Hawassa

$205 24.6% 23.8% $64

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Hawassa

$76 9.2% 68.5% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Hawassa

$423 50.6% 92.6% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Hawassa

$120 14.4% 28% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9% 88.3% $58

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3% 95.8% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $42.00 in Hawassa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $205 – making Hawassa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

160,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Hawassa 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon, $834 in Hawassa – roughly 166% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $1,252 in Hawassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $42.00 in Hawassa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $834 in Hawassa to $2,223 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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