Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kathmandu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $485 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$485

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kathmandu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $485 in Kathmandu.

Lisbon $2,223
Kathmandu $485

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $776 in Kathmandu.

Lisbon $3,271
Kathmandu $776

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,067 in Kathmandu.

Lisbon $4,319
Kathmandu $1,067

Living in Lisbon is roughly 358% more expensive than in Kathmandu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Kathmandu is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.00 NPR 304

725.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$20.16 NPR 3,064

203.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.64 NPR 1,160

47.51%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.52 NPR 231

101.32%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.54 NPR 82.7

318.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.15 NPR 23.14

1053.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.18 NPR 483

6.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.34 NPR 507

1.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.76 NPR 115

47.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.62 NPR 94.6

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.87 NPR 132

75.86%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.66 NPR 252

138.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.51 NPR 1,141

69.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.08 NPR 468

156.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$6.02 NPR 914

181.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.07 NPR 315

9.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.19 NPR 180

47.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.37 NPR 208

35.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$0.54 NPR 81.6

375.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.38 NPR 57.9

389.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.54 NPR 82.2

274.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.49 NPR 74.4

193.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.22 NPR 33.24

272.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$2.41 NPR 367

172.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$7.61 NPR 1,156

-26.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.20 NPR 334

-41.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.99 NPR 454

-30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.22 NPR 33.95

968.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$9.76 NPR 1,482

352.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.74 NPR 264

129.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.14 NPR 173

-4.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$3.33 NPR 506

399.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.41 NPR 214

61.70%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$29.8K NPR 4.5M

12.86%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

8.07%

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

$167 €149

$31.62 NPR 4,805

429.70%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$3.42 NPR 520

449.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$8.97 NPR 1,363

268.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$22.13 NPR 3,363

107.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$6.76 NPR 1,027

183.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$2.89 NPR 439

240.48%

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

$677 €602

$66.1 NPR 10.0K

925.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$5,484 NPR 833.3K

208.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$24.88 NPR 3,780

306.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$26.17 NPR 3,976

74.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$63.0 NPR 9,573

58.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$28.83 NPR 4,381

325.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$218 NPR 33.1K

640.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$104 NPR 15.8K

1051.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$433 NPR 65.8K

560.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$198 NPR 30.1K

903.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,296 NPR 348.8K

230.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,340 NPR 203.6K

221.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$267 NPR 40.6K

494.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

9.72

-60.39%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kathmandu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Kathmandu

$104 21.4% 91.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Kathmandu

$145 29.8% 46.4% $125

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Kathmandu

$83 17% 65.9% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Kathmandu

$44 9.1% 79.9% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kathmandu

$64 13.3% 61.4% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Kathmandu

$28 5.8% 57.5% $38

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Kathmandu

$18 3.7% 71.3% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $218 in Kathmandu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 495% 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 $20.00 in Kathmandu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $145 per month, with Kathmandu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

18:47 6:47 PM

4 h 45 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

975,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Kathmandu 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Kathmandu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu wins on cost – living expenses run 358% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kathmandu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 495% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $218 in Kathmandu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kathmandu – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $485 in Kathmandu – a 358% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $485 in Kathmandu versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kathmandu but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kathmandu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kathmandu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $485 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kathmandu hard to pass up.

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

Expats usually find Kathmandu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 358% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.