Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Karlovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovo: $786 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Karlovo
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Karlovo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Karlovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Karlovo

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

A single person spends $2,206 per month in Lisbon vs $786 in Karlovo, rent included.

Lisbon $2,206
Karlovo $786

A couple spends around $3,276 per month in Lisbon vs $1,272 in Karlovo, rent included.

Lisbon $3,276
Karlovo $1,272

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $1,758 in Karlovo, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Karlovo $1,758

Lisbon costs about 181% more than Karlovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 63% above the global median, while Karlovo is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.01

$7.21 BGN 12.55

133.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$34.76 BGN 60.5

75.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$8.49 BGN 14.76

29.33%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.42 BGN 2.47

114.79%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.10 BGN 1.92

107.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.74 BGN 1.30

127.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.95 BGN 3.38

76.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$1.70 BGN 2.96

130.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.15 BGN 2.01

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.82 BGN 1.43

130.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.86 BGN 3.23

-19.35%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$3.28 BGN 5.71

25.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.58

$10.26 BGN 17.85

26.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$8.70 BGN 15.13

-7.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.93

$5.62 BGN 9.79

218.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.23 BGN 2.14

84.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.96 BGN 3.41

-11.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.04 BGN 3.55

-10.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.13 BGN 3.71

26.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.48 BGN 0.84

268.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.87 BGN 1.52

122.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.01 BGN 1.75

44.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.78 BGN 1.35

-2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$3.27 BGN 5.68

103.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$7.00 BGN 12.18

-19.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.04 BGN 1.81

24.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.81 BGN 3.15

18.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.12 BGN 1.95

105.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.19

$25.72 BGN 44.75

71.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.16 BGN 2.01

243.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.72 BGN 1.25

-11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.85

$11.85 BGN 20.62

59.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.42 BGN 2.47

60.56%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

11.54%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$23.8K BGN 41.4K

61.90%

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

$158 €141

$101 BGN 176

56.14%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$14.18 BGN 24.67

23.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.77

$11.97 BGN 20.83

160.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.75

$31.34 BGN 54.5

42.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.90

$16.96 BGN 29.51

11.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$5.83 BGN 10.15

64.32%

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

$674 €600

$228 BGN 396

195.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$5,924 BGN 10.3K

216.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$29.09 BGN 50.6

251.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.87

$11.58 BGN 20.14

296.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$56.3 BGN 97.9

81.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$45.12 BGN 78.5

170.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$330 BGN 574

397.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$188 BGN 327

531.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,515

$540 BGN 940

423.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,797

$404 BGN 703

399.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,977

$1,314 BGN 2,286

496.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,186

$1,083 BGN 1,884

334.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,502

$465 BGN 809

262.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.25

17.54%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Karlovo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Karlovo

$188 23.9% 84.2% $999

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Karlovo

$208 26.4% 24.4% $67

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Karlovo

$121 15.4% 50.8% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Karlovo

$127 16.2% 38.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Karlovo

$64 8.1% 61.8% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Karlovo

$43 5.5% 32.6% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Karlovo

$35 4.5% 42.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Lisbon versus $330 in Karlovo. 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 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Lisbon versus $35 in Karlovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $208 – making Karlovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Karlovo

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

17:43 5:43 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

23,919

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Karlovo 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Karlovo

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 Karlovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 181%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,309 per month in Lisbon and $1,179 in Karlovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $330 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Karlovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $674 per month in Lisbon and $228 in Karlovo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karlovo, where all-in costs run around $786, than in Lisbon at $2,206. In Karlovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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