Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Icheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Icheon: $1,599 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
Learn more

Icheon Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Icheon

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,599 in Icheon, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Icheon $1,599

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,052 in Icheon, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Icheon $2,052

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,506 in Icheon, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Icheon $2,506

Lisbon costs about 38% more than Icheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Icheon sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Icheon by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$6.24 ₩8,328

166.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$49.61 ₩66.2K

24.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$6.65 ₩8,863

70.83%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.67 ₩4,888

-19.07%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.33 ₩1,776

72.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.18 ₩1,569

47.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.86 ₩5,145

-11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.24 ₩5,648

-21.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.29 ₩3,059

-49.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.19 ₩4,254

-40.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.12 ₩4,157

-51.60%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.65 ₩3,539

51.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$11.29 ₩15.1K

14.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.73 ₩14.3K

-27.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$25.00 ₩33.3K

-28.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$11.46 ₩15.3K

-79.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$3.59 ₩4,794

-51.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$7.97 ₩10.6K

-76.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$6.08 ₩8,111

-57.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$5.89 ₩7,855

-69.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.31 ₩4,408

-40.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.84 ₩3,789

-48.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.34 ₩1,792

-46.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.42 ₩4,563

92.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$18.77 ₩25.0K

-70.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.43 ₩3,239

-44.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.45 ₩4,599

-37.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.10 ₩1,472

111.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.52 ₩4,693

9.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.74 ₩983

44.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$17.15 ₩22.9K

-4.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.42 ₩1,895

54.93%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$40.4K ₩53.8M

-15.32%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$33.6K ₩44.8M

15.21%

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

$161 €144

$205 ₩274.0K

-21.54%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$36.50 ₩48.7K

-49.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$27.50 ₩36.7K

19.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$22.67 ₩30.2K

96.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.46 ₩15.3K

-16.23%

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

$668 €598

$631 ₩841.0K

5.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$22.3K ₩29.8M

-21.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$107 ₩142.1K

-4.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$64.9 ₩86.5K

-31.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$94.2 ₩125.6K

4.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$127 ₩169.1K

-2.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$763 ₩1.0M

110.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$454 ₩605.3K

162.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,314 ₩3.1M

-31.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.9

-1.28%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Icheon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Icheon

$454 28.4% 61.9% $736

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Icheon

$490 30.6% 79.9% $218

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Icheon

$152 9.5% 37.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Icheon

$269 16.9% 26.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Icheon

$177 11% 6.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Icheon

$46 2.9% 28.5% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Icheon

$12 * 0.7% 81.6% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $763 in Icheon. 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 47% higher in Icheon, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $50 in Icheon. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Lisbon vs $490 in Icheon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇰🇷 Icheon

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

9 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

213,059

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, 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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Icheon 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Icheon

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 Icheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 38%, 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 $2,398 in Icheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Icheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $763 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $50 in Icheon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 44% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,599 in Icheon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Icheon – 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.