Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kalar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalar: $500 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
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kalar
Learn more

Kalar Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Kalar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kalar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $500 in Kalar.

Lisbon $2,210
Kalar $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $745 in Kalar.

Lisbon $3,275
Kalar $745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $991 in Kalar.

Lisbon $4,341
Kalar $991

Living in Lisbon is roughly 342% more expensive than in Kalar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$4.18 IQD 6,314

298.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$10.53 IQD 15.9K

486.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$3.07 IQD 4,646

270.03%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$0.85 IQD 1,283

249.41%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.45 IQD 683

408.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.14 IQD 215

1142.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$5.49 IQD 8,290

-38.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.93 IQD 5,939

-15.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.92 IQD 1,388

26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.72 IQD 1,091

165.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.29 IQD 1,946

17.05%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.12 IQD 1,698

258.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$2.90 IQD 4,376

346.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$2.00 IQD 3,020

288.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$10.87 IQD 16.4K

63.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.81 IQD 1,219

183.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$0.97 IQD 1,462

78.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$0.85 IQD 1,286

118.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$0.70 IQD 1,053

270.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.58 IQD 873

213.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.63 IQD 948

212.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.60 IQD 908

145.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.39 IQD 586

84.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$2.09 IQD 3,165

214.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$10.72 IQD 16.2K

-47.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.46 IQD 2,213

-6.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.86 IQD 2,815

15.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.49 IQD 740

375.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$26.14 IQD 39.5K

70.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.67 IQD 2,526

130.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.55 IQD 2,347

-30.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$3.34 IQD 5,039

392.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.54 IQD 815

307.41%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$14.6K IQD 22.1M

133.74%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

135.79%

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

$161 €145

$46.19 IQD 69.8K

249.04%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

57.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$20.88 IQD 31.6K

56.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$16.77 IQD 25.3K

165.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$32.49 IQD 49.1K

-41.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.74 IQD 10.2K

42.43%

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

$668 €600

$43.60 IQD 65.9K

1431.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,306 IQD 2.0M

1248.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$10.86 IQD 16.4K

839.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$12.02 IQD 18.2K

269.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$22.98 IQD 34.7K

328.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$28.22 IQD 42.6K

338.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$151 IQD 228.0K

966.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$92.5 IQD 139.8K

1186.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$246 IQD 371.6K

1043.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$126 IQD 189.7K

1503.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$874 IQD 1.3M

797.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$392 IQD 591.7K

1068.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$300 IQD 453.4K

424.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.53

52.17%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kalar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kalar

$93 18.5% 92.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Kalar

$137 27.4% 49.8% $136

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Kalar

$91 18.1% 62.7% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Kalar

$79 15.8% 62.9% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kalar

$33 6.7% 79.9% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kalar

$30 6.1% 52.5% $33

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kalar

$38 7.5% 40.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $151 in Kalar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $11 in Kalar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $137 per month, with Kalar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇶 Kalar

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

01:54 1:54 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

250,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Kalar 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Kalar

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 Kalar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalar is about 77% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 5.2 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 $151 in Kalar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kalar – a meal for two runs $11 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $500 in Kalar – Kalar is about 77% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $500 in Kalar versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kalar but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kalar 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 Kalar 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.