Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $599 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
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Islamabad Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Islamabad

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $599 in Islamabad, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Islamabad $599

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $930 in Islamabad, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Islamabad $930

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $1,261 in Islamabad, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Islamabad $1,261

Lisbon costs about 271% more than Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Islamabad is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$3.63 PKR 1,004

354.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$23.40 PKR 6,478

161.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$5.54 PKR 1,534

103.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 PKR 987

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 PKR 1,864

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.64 PKR 730

15.91%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.32 PKR 89.6

606.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.23 PKR 63.7

652.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.94 PKR 259

19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.72 PKR 200

158.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.30 PKR 361

17.69%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.22 PKR 339

224.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$6.05 PKR 1,674

110.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.09 PKR 855

155.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$5.35 PKR 1,482

217.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.26 PKR 350

80.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$0.87 PKR 241

101.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.04 PKR 288

77.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$0.53 PKR 146

384.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.29 PKR 81.2

541.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.36 PKR 99.4

461.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.28 PKR 76.4

414.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.39 PKR 108

110.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.95 PKR 539

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 PKR 331

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 PKR 743

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$2.24 PKR 619

192.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.16 PKR 43.07

1368.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$21.34 PKR 5,905

107.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.24 PKR 344

221.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.74 PKR 204

47.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$1.60 PKR 442

940.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.37 PKR 378

66.42%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$54.5K PKR 15.1M

-38.20%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

64.69%

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

$167 €149

$103 PKR 28.6K

62.20%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$5.99 PKR 1,658

213.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$17.15 PKR 4,746

92.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$28.20 PKR 7,806

63.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$8.47 PKR 2,344

126.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$4.43 PKR 1,226

122.12%

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

$677 €602

$75.7 PKR 20.9K

794.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$5,004 PKR 1.4M

238.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$25.72 PKR 7,118

293.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$34.48 PKR 9,543

32.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$95.5 PKR 26.4K

4.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$41.32 PKR 11.4K

197.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$276 PKR 76.5K

483.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$139 PKR 38.3K

763.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$572 PKR 158.2K

400.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$270 PKR 74.9K

635.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,629 PKR 450.8K

365.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$836 PKR 231.5K

414.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$380 PKR 105.2K

317.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

13.08

-70.57%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Islamabad

$139 23.1% 88.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Islamabad

$102 17% 62.1% $167

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Islamabad

$80 13.3% 67.2% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Islamabad

$126 21.1% 42.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Islamabad

$89 14.8% 46.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Islamabad

$37 6.2% 43.6% $29

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 57.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $276 in Islamabad. 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 318% 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 $61.0 in Lisbon versus $23.00 in Islamabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $102 – making Islamabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

04:47 4:47 AM

4 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Islamabad 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 271%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $899 in Islamabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Islamabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 164% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $23.00 in Islamabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Islamabad, where all-in costs run around $599, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Islamabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Islamabad. 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.