Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Iernut

For one person, living is cheaper in Iernut: $930 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Iernut, Romania
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Iernut
🇷🇴 Romania
$930
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Iernut

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $930 in Iernut.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Iernut $930

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,434 in Iernut.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Iernut $1,434

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,939 in Iernut.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Iernut $1,939

Living in Lisbon is roughly 138% more expensive than in Iernut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Iernut is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Iernut
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.92
$8.91 RON 42.72
86.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$42.80 RON 205
44.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.18
$7.18 RON 34.44
58.22%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$2.19 RON 10.50
35.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$1.44 RON 6.92
59.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.23 RON 5.89
41.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$2.14 RON 10.24
58.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.37 RON 11.34
39.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Iernut
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.39 RON 6.67
-16.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.11 RON 5.34
72.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.46 RON 7.01
3.42%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$2.92 RON 14.00
37.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$8.14 RON 39.04
58.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.97
$5.77 RON 27.69
34.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.92
$10.35 RON 49.64
71.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$0.99 RON 4.74
132.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.33 RON 6.36
30.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.46 RON 7.00
27.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$1.88 RON 9.03
37.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.71 RON 3.40
156.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.51 RON 2.46
286.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.87 RON 4.18
68.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.72 RON 3.43
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$5.93 RON 28.45
10.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$7.44 RON 35.70
-24.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.08 RON 5.17
25.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.62 RON 7.75
32.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Iernut
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$0.71 RON 3.38
228.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.04
$21.72 RON 104
105.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$0.63 RON 3.00
511.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.62 RON 2.99
72.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.75
$6.47 RON 31.03
154.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.81 RON 8.68
21.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$29.0K RON 139.1K
17.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$25.8K RON 123.6K
50.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Iernut
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$101 RON 485
59.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.50
$7.63 RON 36.61
141.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.34
$7.97 RON 38.20
310.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Iernut
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.92
$38.48 RON 185
15.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.11
$20.63 RON 98.9
-7.42%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$6.51 RON 31.21
47.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Iernut
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$419 RON 2,008
59.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$6,990 RON 33.5K
151.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Iernut
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$51.7 RON 248
97.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.85
$30.48 RON 146
45.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.3
$75.3 RON 361
30.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$78.5 RON 376
57.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Iernut
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,441
$382 RON 1,831
321.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$289 RON 1,385
312.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,520
$604 RON 2,898
365.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,804
$441 RON 2,114
356.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,025
$1,857 RON 8,905
322.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,100
$1,329 RON 6,373
244.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Iernut
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
-
-
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 Iernut: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Iernut
$289 75.7% $901
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Iernut
$194 28.8% $79
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Iernut
$145 40.2% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Iernut
$117 45.1% $96
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Iernut
$106 36% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Iernut
$52 19.2% $12
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Iernut
$28 55.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $382 in Iernut. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $43 in Iernut for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $194 per month, with Iernut cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇷🇴 Iernut
🕒 Local time
00:12 12:12 AM
02:12 2:12 AM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
9,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.8 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Iernut 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Iernut

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 Iernut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Iernut cheaper than Lisbon?
Iernut is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,396 in Iernut to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Lisbon and Iernut?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $382 in Iernut. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Lisbon or in Iernut?
Dining out is cheaper in Iernut – a meal for two runs $43 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Lisbon and in Iernut?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $930 in Iernut – Iernut is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is it better to live in Lisbon or in Iernut?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Iernut gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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