Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ismailia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Ismailia
🇪🇬 Egypt
$330
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ismailia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $330 in Ismailia.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Ismailia $330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $561 in Ismailia.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Ismailia $561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $792 in Ismailia.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Ismailia $792

Living in Lisbon is roughly 568% more expensive than in Ismailia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Ismailia is 76% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Ismailia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$3.30 E£176
416.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$14.58 E£778
327.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$3.76 E£201
193.09%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$1.04 E£55.5
200.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$0.30 E£15.91
656.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.13 E£6.85
1238.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$1.32 E£70.6
159.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$1.80 E£96.0
107.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Ismailia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$0.79 E£42.30
48.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$0.36 E£19.07
416.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$0.60 E£32.12
156.67%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$1.15 E£61.5
253.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$3.49 E£186
269.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$3.98 E£213
98.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$6.95 E£371
153.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$1.45 E£77.3
55.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$0.54 E£29.05
224.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$0.41 E£22.01
360.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$0.31 E£16.79
725.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$0.26 E£13.89
611.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$0.32 E£17.12
515.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$0.23 E£12.31
530.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.20 E£10.67
285.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$1.86 E£99.5
260.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$5.48 E£293
3.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.04 E£55.4
31.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$1.89 E£101
11.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Ismailia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$0.23 E£12.26
908.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
$3.77 E£201
1078.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$0.39 E£20.60
912.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$0.48 E£25.72
118.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$1.13 E£60.2
1417.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$0.42 E£22.18
421.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$27.6K E£1.5M
22.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$14.6K E£780.2K
161.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Ismailia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$13.94 E£744
1075.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$6.66 E£355
177.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$7.33 E£391
349.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Ismailia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$9.65 E£515
375.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
$18.42 E£984
1.41%
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$1.82 E£97.4
435.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Ismailia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$65.6 E£3,502
943.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$1,171 E£62.5K
1404.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Ismailia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$12.92 E£690
702.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$9.19 E£491
402.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$127 E£6,764
-21.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$27.53 E£1,470
352.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Ismailia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$78.3 E£4,181
1929.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$31.44 E£1,679
3618.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$120 E£6,414
2273.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$75.2 E£4,017
2549.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$458 E£24.5K
1599.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$131 E£6,984
3278.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Ismailia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
$101 E£5,387
1485.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
21.33
-81.95%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Ismailia
$31 97.3% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Ismailia
$108 60.4% $165
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Ismailia
$62 74.9% $185
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Ismailia
$28 87% $187
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Ismailia
$79 52.9% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Ismailia
$13 79.7% $52
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Ismailia
$7.5 88.1% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 1486% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $15.00 in Ismailia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $108 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇪🇬 Ismailia
🕒 Local time
21:58 9:58 PM
23:58 11:58 PM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
352,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Ismailia 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Ismailia

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 Ismailia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Ismailia?
Ismailia wins on cost – living expenses run 568% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ismailia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Lisbon or in Ismailia?
Average pay runs 1486% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Lisbon compared to Ismailia?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Lisbon and in Ismailia?
Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $65.6 in Ismailia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Lisbon or in Ismailia?
Supermarket bills run roughly 153% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Lisbon or in Ismailia?
At $330 in Ismailia versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ismailia but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ismailia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Lisbon or Ismailia?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ismailia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $330 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ismailia hard to pass up.
How safe is Lisbon compared to Ismailia?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Ismailia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ismailia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 568% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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