Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $504 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kabul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $504 in Kabul.

Lisbon $2,210
Kabul $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $683 in Kabul.

Lisbon $3,275
Kabul $683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $862 in Kabul.

Lisbon $4,341
Kabul $862

Living in Lisbon is roughly 338% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Kabul is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$2.70 ؋175

516.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$7.75 ؋503

696.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$4.68 ؋304

142.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.12 ؋72.4

165.18%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.48 ؋31.20

377.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.13 ؋8.66

1238.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.82 ؋53.3

41.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.25 ؋16.30

664.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.79 ؋116

-15.64%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.57 ؋102

156.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$4.39 ؋285

194.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$3.89 ؋252

99.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$6.68 ؋434

165.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.68 ؋44.40

238.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.84 ؋54.7

105.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.94 ؋61.3

97.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.55 ؋35.87

370.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.61 ؋39.32

198.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.48 ؋30.95

310.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.30 ؋19.61

390.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.39 ؋25.52

84.62%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.43 ؋158

170.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.16 ؋10.13

1356.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$20.62 ؋1,339

116.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.04 ؋132

88.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.48 ؋31.24

122.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$2.75 ؋178

498.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.08 ؋70.1

103.70%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$8,581 ؋557.2K

298.45%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$33.9K ؋2.2M

14.13%

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

$161 €144

$42.52 ؋2,761

279.16%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$13.17 ؋855

39.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$95.5 ؋6,201

-65.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$11.01 ؋715

304.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$4.01 ؋260

376.31%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$2.29 ؋149

319.21%

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

$668 €598

$19.86 ؋1,290

3261.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,052 ؋68.3K

1575.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$10.53 ؋684

868.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$16.26 ؋1,056

173.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$58.5 ؋3,797

68.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$24.87 ؋1,615

397.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$122 ؋7,934

1216.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$110 ؋7,172

977.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$220 ؋14.3K

1176.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$114 ؋7,433

1658.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$669 ؋43.5K

1070.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$355 ؋23.0K

1190.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$339 ؋22.0K

364.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kabul

$110 21.9% 90.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Kabul

$101 19.9% 63.1% $172

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Kabul

$51 10.2% 78.8% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Kabul

$151 30% 28.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kabul

$50 9.8% 70.1% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kabul

$16 3.1% 75.5% $48

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kabul

$26 5.1% 59.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $122 in Kabul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $8 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $101 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

13:28 1:28 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 64.93 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.46 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Kabul 6,780 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $504 in Kabul, so Kabul is about 77% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 4.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $122 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 54% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $19.86 in Kabul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $504 in Kabul versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.