Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Karlovy Vary

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovy Vary: $1,447 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Karlovy Vary
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
$1,447
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Karlovy Vary

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,447 in Karlovy Vary.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Karlovy Vary $1,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,407 in Karlovy Vary.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Karlovy Vary $2,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,367 in Karlovy Vary.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Karlovy Vary $3,367

Living in Lisbon is roughly 54% more expensive than in Karlovy Vary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Karlovy Vary 7% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Karlovy Vary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.67
$9.12 Kč 197
80.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.5
$45.32 Kč 980
35.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.03
$8.63 Kč 187
30.59%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$2.92 Kč 63.1
4.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$1.64 Kč 35.40
37.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$1.35 Kč 29.28
28.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$2.02 Kč 43.64
67.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.02
$1.92 Kč 41.42
77.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Karlovy Vary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.16 Kč 25.17
-3.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.43 Kč 31.01
30.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$2.31 Kč 49.89
-33.77%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.53
$2.80 Kč 60.6
41.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.35
$12.32 Kč 266
3.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.02
$7.03 Kč 152
12.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.09
$16.70 Kč 361
1.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.86 Kč 40.12
22.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.70 Kč 36.87
2.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.14 Kč 46.31
-13.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.28
$3.24 Kč 70.1
-20.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.06 Kč 23.03
75.47%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.10 Kč 23.80
83.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.13 Kč 24.54
27.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$0.76 Kč 16.42
7.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.83
$7.45 Kč 161
-11.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
$6.89 Kč 149
-18.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
$0.88 Kč 19.04
45.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$1.65 Kč 35.69
25.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Karlovy Vary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$2.26 Kč 48.81
3.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.30
$25.53 Kč 552
73.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$2.71 Kč 58.6
47.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.45 Kč 31.30
-24.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.81
$16.71 Kč 361
-0.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.88 Kč 40.76
21.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$27.5K Kč 594.6K
22.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$23.2K Kč 502.0K
69.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Karlovy Vary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$252 Kč 5,447
-33.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.72
$22.47 Kč 486
-16.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.43
$18.84 Kč 407
75.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Karlovy Vary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €40.93
$57.9 Kč 1,252
-20.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.07
$21.42 Kč 463
-10.41%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.75
$6.93 Kč 150
41.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Karlovy Vary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €602
$182 Kč 3,941
271.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$2,794 Kč 60.4K
505.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Karlovy Vary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.1
$83.4 Kč 1,804
21.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.70
$36.53 Kč 790
25.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.9
$101 Kč 2,175
-0.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$123 Kč 2,656
-0.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Karlovy Vary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,436
$692 Kč 15.0K
133.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,065
$470 Kč 10.2K
154.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,545
$1,642 Kč 35.5K
74.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,770
$1,305 Kč 28.2K
52.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,740
$6,820 Kč 147.5K
11.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,831
$5,127 Kč 110.9K
-16.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Karlovy Vary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,412
$1,404 Kč 30.4K
13.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.67
-17.56%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karlovy Vary: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Karlovy Vary
$470 60.8% $727
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Karlovy Vary
$253 5.9% $16
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Karlovy Vary
$160 34% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Karlovy Vary
$293 33.6% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Karlovy Vary
$155 7.1% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Karlovy Vary
$72 9.2% $6.1
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Karlovy Vary
$45 29.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $692 in Karlovy Vary. 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $45.00 in Karlovy Vary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $253 per month, with Karlovy Vary cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇨🇿 Karlovy Vary
🕒 Local time
05:27 5:27 AM
06:27 6:27 AM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
52,065
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Karlovy Vary 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Karlovy Vary

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 Karlovy Vary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Karlovy Vary cheaper than Lisbon?
Karlovy Vary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Lisbon or Karlovy Vary?
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.
What is the rent difference between Lisbon and Karlovy Vary?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $692 in Karlovy Vary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Lisbon or in Karlovy Vary?
Dining out is cheaper in Karlovy Vary – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Lisbon and in Karlovy Vary?
All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,447 in Karlovy Vary – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Lisbon or in Karlovy Vary?
At $1,447 in Karlovy Vary versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karlovy Vary but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Karlovy Vary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Lisbon or Karlovy Vary more family-friendly?
For families, Karlovy Vary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Lisbon or Karlovy Vary?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Karlovy Vary are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Karlovy Vary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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