Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Karlovac

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovac: $1,222 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Karlovac
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Karlovac Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Karlovac

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Karlovac

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,222 in Karlovac.

Lisbon $2,210
Karlovac $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,821 in Karlovac.

Lisbon $3,275
Karlovac $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,419 in Karlovac.

Lisbon $4,341
Karlovac $2,419

Living in Lisbon is roughly 81% more expensive than in Karlovac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Karlovac is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$11.20 €10.06

48.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$44.46 €39.94

38.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.61 €6.84

49.28%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.96 €1.76

51.53%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.45 €2.20

-6.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.61 €1.45

8.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.43 €2.19

39.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.46 €2.21

34.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.13 €1.02

2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.13 €1.02

69.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.53 €1.38

-1.31%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.16 €2.84

27.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$9.05 €8.13

42.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$9.86 €8.86

-21.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$12.02 €10.80

47.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.97 €1.77

16.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.84 €1.66

-5.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.83 €1.64

1.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.01 €1.81

28.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.38 €1.24

31.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.06 €0.95

85.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.63 €1.46

-9.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.17 €1.05

-38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$5.69 €5.11

15.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.67 €5.99

-15.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.61 €1.45

-15.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.31 €2.07

-7.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.33 €2.99

-30.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.66 €5.09

-31.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.09 €0.98

-1.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.69 €1.52

30.18%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$26.3K €23.6K

29.92%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$24.7K €22.2K

56.75%

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

$161 €145

$178 €160

-9.66%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$27.68 €24.86

-33.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$38.87 €34.91

-15.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$38.63 €34.70

15.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$18.24 €16.39

4.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.55 €5.88

46.56%

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

$668 €600

$427 €384

56.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,876 €6,176

156.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$89.3 €80.2

14.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$49.51 €44.47

-10.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$88.8 €79.8

10.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$78.3 €70.3

57.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$478 €429

236.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$349 €313

241.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$733 €659

283.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$530 €477

279.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,746 €2,467

185.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,382 €2,139

92.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,399 €1,257

12.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.72

3.49%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Karlovac: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Karlovac

$349 28.5% 70.7% $841

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Karlovac

$245 20.1% 10% $27

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Karlovac

$169 13.9% 30.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Karlovac

$245 20.1% 15.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Karlovac

$138 11.3% 17% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Karlovac

$52 4.2% 18.8% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Karlovac

$24 * 2% 61.4% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $478 in Karlovac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 13% 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 in Lisbon vs $44 in Karlovac for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $245 per month, with Karlovac cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇭🇷 Karlovac

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

41,869

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Karlovac 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Karlovac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlovac is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Lisbon, 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 $478 in Karlovac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,222 in Karlovac – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Karlovac versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karlovac but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Karlovac 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Karlovac are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Karlovac wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.