Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Karaikal

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaikal: $300 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Karaikal
Learn more

Karaikal Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Karaikal

🇮🇳 India

$300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Karaikal

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $300 in Karaikal, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Karaikal $300

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $469 in Karaikal, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Karaikal $469

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $638 in Karaikal, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Karaikal $638

Lisbon costs about 637% more than Karaikal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Karaikal is 78% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$0.71 ₹67.3

2245.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$12.53 ₹1,190

392.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$3.66 ₹348

210.38%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$0.61 ₹57.7

386.89%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.20 ₹18.98

1045.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.15 ₹14.50

1060.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$0.98 ₹93.0

246.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$1.59 ₹151

108.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.50 ₹47.51

132.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.30 ₹28.93

536.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.49 ₹46.15

208.16%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$0.64 ₹61.2

528.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$2.60 ₹247

397.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$2.66 ₹252

192.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.27 ₹121

81.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.43 ₹40.86

302.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.76 ₹72.4

144.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.17 ₹16.00

1423.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.22 ₹20.91

727.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.28 ₹26.42

603.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.14 ₹13.11

950.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.25 ₹23.72

188.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.77 ₹263

137.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$3.07 ₹292

82.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.25 ₹118

8.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.13 ₹202

0.47%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.74 ₹355

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.22 ₹20.84

959.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$7.17 ₹681

523.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.07 ₹102

259.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.22 ₹20.92

386.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$1.03 ₹97.9

1498.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.02 ₹97.3

115.69%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$8,356 ₹793.4K

309.20%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$9,625 ₹913.9K

302.35%

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

$161 €144

$37.93 ₹3,601

325.05%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$1.58 ₹150

1065.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$6.36 ₹603

414.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$6.64 ₹631

570.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$6.38 ₹606

199.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$2.39 ₹227

301.67%

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

$668 €598

$21.28 ₹2,021

3037.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,141 ₹203.3K

722.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$10.30 ₹978

890.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$17.07 ₹1,620

160.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$35.55 ₹3,375

177.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$25.89 ₹2,458

377.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$149 ₹14.1K

981.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$91.3 ₹8,668

1203.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$220 ₹20.9K

1175.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$178 ₹16.9K

1030.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$956 ₹90.8K

719.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$536 ₹50.9K

753.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$417 ₹39.6K

277.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

9.5

-59.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Karaikal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Karaikal

$91 30.4% 92.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Karaikal

$68 22.6% 75.1% $204

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Karaikal

$33 11.1% 86.2% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Karaikal

$46 15.3% 78.4% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Karaikal

$40 13.3% 75.9% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Karaikal

$11 3.8% 82.1% $52

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Karaikal

$10 3.4% 83.8% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $149 in Karaikal. 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 3.8 times higher, 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $13 in Karaikal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $68 – making Karaikal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇳 Karaikal

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

10,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Karaikal 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Karaikal

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 Karaikal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 637% more than Karaikal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $450 in Karaikal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karaikal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $149 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Groceries cost about 301% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $13 in Karaikal. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Karaikal, where all-in costs run around $300, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Karaikal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karaikal – 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 Karaikal. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.