Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kairouan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kairouan: $634 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Kairouan
Learn more

Kairouan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Kairouan

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kairouan

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $634 in Kairouan, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Kairouan $634

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $975 in Kairouan, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Kairouan $975

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,315 in Kairouan, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Kairouan $1,315

Lisbon costs about 248% more than Kairouan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Kairouan is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$2.71 TND 8.14

514.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$16.14 TND 48.49

282.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$6.10 TND 18.33

86.23%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$0.98 TND 2.95

203.06%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.85 TND 2.56

169.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.35 TND 1.05

397.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.71 TND 5.14

98.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.65 TND 7.96

24.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.49 TND 1.48

136.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.09 TND 0.27

2022.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.72 TND 5.16

-12.21%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.52 TND 4.58

164.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.89 TND 29.70

30.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$5.52 TND 16.57

40.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$11.96 TND 35.93

48.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.14 TND 6.44

7.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.27 TND 6.83

-23.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.16 TND 3.48

60.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.81 TND 2.44

219.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.65 TND 1.94

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.64 TND 1.93

207.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.50 TND 1.49

194.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.24 TND 0.72

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.33 TND 9.99

97.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.74 TND 20.26

-16.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.23 TND 3.69

10.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.46 TND 4.37

46.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.33 TND 0.98

606.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$9.96 TND 29.93

348.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.29 TND 0.87

1227.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.31 TND 0.94

245.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$1.78 TND 5.36

824.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.77 TND 2.32

185.71%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$38.9K TND 116.8K

-12.05%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$36.5K TND 109.8K

5.99%

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

$161 €144

$59.9 TND 180

169.24%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$8.65 TND 25.99

112.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$19.80 TND 59.5

65.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$23.85 TND 71.7

86.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$12.24 TND 36.78

56.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$4.78 TND 14.35

100.84%

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

$668 €598

$106 TND 319

528.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,181 TND 9,558

453.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$23.41 TND 70.4

335.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$61.7 TND 185

-27.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$46.11 TND 139

113.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$84.3 TND 253

46.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$118 TND 355

1260.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$156 TND 470

660.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$366 TND 1,099

668.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$269 TND 808

648.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$963 TND 2,893

714.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$621 TND 1,864

637.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$328 TND 986

379.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.65

-63.85%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kairouan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kairouan

$156 24.7% 86.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Kairouan

$176 27.7% 35.5% $97

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Kairouan

$70 11.1% 71% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Kairouan

$88 13.9% 58.4% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kairouan

$97 15.3% 41.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kairouan

$33 5.3% 47.6% $30

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kairouan

$13 2.1% 79.2% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $118 in Kairouan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $16 in Kairouan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $176 – making Kairouan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇳 Kairouan

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

01:50 1:50 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

139,070

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Kairouan 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Kairouan

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 Kairouan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $634 in Kairouan – Kairouan comes out roughly 71% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $951 in Kairouan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kairouan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $118 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Public transport costs about 78% less in Kairouan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $106 in Kairouan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kairouan, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Kairouan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kairouan – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Kairouan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.