Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kaunas

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaunas: $1,509 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kaunas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,509 in Kaunas.

Lisbon $2,210
Kaunas $1,509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,259 in Kaunas.

Lisbon $3,275
Kaunas $2,259

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,008 in Kaunas.

Lisbon $4,341
Kaunas $3,008

Living in Lisbon is roughly 46% more expensive than in Kaunas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Kaunas 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.03 €10.78

38.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$67.5 €60.5

-8.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.20 €9.14

11.37%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.43 €3.07

-13.41%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.36 €3.02

-31.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.24 €2.91

-46.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.24 €4.70

-35.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.54 €4.07

-27.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.61 €1.45

-27.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.72 €1.54

11.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.26 €2.02

-33.19%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.24 €2.91

24.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$14.95 €13.40

-13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$8.13 €7.29

-4.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$13.49 €12.09

31.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.59 €1.42

44.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.49 €1.34

16.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.18 €1.95

-14.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.36 €3.01

-22.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.91 €0.81

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.94 €0.84

109.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.82 €1.63

-19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.93 €0.83

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.25 €5.60

5.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.03 €8.98

-44.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.74 €1.56

-21.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.15 €1.93

-0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.15 €1.03

102.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$31.91 €28.60

40.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.14 €1.02

237.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.89 €0.80

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$15.76 €14.12

4.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.01 €1.80

9.45%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.8K €24.9K

23.07%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$28.1K €25.1K

37.98%

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

$161 €144

$196 €176

-17.83%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$15.98 €14.32

15.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$15.68 €14.05

108.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$32.37 €29.01

37.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$27.72 €24.84

-31.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.93 €10.69

-19.53%

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

$668 €598

$643 €576

3.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,792 €7,879

100.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$85.8 €76.9

18.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$40.41 €36.22

10.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$119 €107

-17.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$162 €145

-23.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$710 €636

126.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$490 €439

143.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,056 €946

166.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$698 €626

188.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,369 €3,019

132.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,272 €2,036

101.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,718 €1,540

-8.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.05

-4.94%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kaunas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kaunas

$490 32.5% 58.9% $700

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Kaunas

$280 18.5% 2.7% $7.4

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Kaunas

$230 15.2% 5.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Kaunas

$228 15.1% 7.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kaunas

$183 12.2% 10.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kaunas

$56 3.7% 11.8% $7.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kaunas

$42 2.8% 33.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $710 in Kaunas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaunas pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $67 in Kaunas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $280 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

06:02 6:02 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

315,993

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Kaunas 3,050 km ≈ 4 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 Kaunas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaunas wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kaunas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $710 in Kaunas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $67 in Kaunas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,509 in Kaunas – Kaunas is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kaunas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kaunas delivers better value at $1,509 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kaunas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Kaunas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.