Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Koh Lanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Lanta: $926 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Koh Lanta
🇹🇭 Thailand
$926
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Koh Lanta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $926 in Koh Lanta.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Koh Lanta $926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,533 in Koh Lanta.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Koh Lanta $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,140 in Koh Lanta.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Koh Lanta $2,140

Living in Lisbon is roughly 138% more expensive than in Koh Lanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Koh Lanta is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Koh Lanta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$3.69 ฿123
361.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$25.60 ฿856
143.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$6.84 ฿229
61.11%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$2.17 ฿72.4
43.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$0.71 ฿23.88
219.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.39 ฿13.07
346.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$2.05 ฿68.5
66.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$3.01 ฿101
24.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Koh Lanta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.49 ฿49.70
-21.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.26 ฿42.06
47.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.42 ฿47.40
8.45%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$1.90 ฿63.3
113.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$17.56 ฿587
-26.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$3.01 ฿101
162.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$10.02 ฿335
76.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.69 ฿89.9
-15.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.53 ฿51.3
14.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$2.01 ฿67.2
-5.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$1.93 ฿64.4
32.64%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$1.31 ฿43.84
41.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.20 ฿40.12
64.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$0.96 ฿32.05
51.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.46 ฿15.52
67.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$3.87 ฿129
73.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$16.97 ฿567
-66.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.57 ฿52.5
-12.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$2.61 ฿87.3
-19.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Koh Lanta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$1.74 ฿58.3
33.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$2.44 ฿81.5
61.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$0.87 ฿29.02
20.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$2.99 ฿100
473.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.18 ฿39.53
85.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$21.1K ฿703.8K
60.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$21.7K ฿723.6K
76.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Koh Lanta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$92.0 ฿3,073
78.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$10.61 ฿355
74.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$16.26 ฿543
102.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Koh Lanta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$45.01 ฿1,504
1.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
$9.18 ฿307
103.49%
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$6.36 ฿213
53.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Koh Lanta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$505 ฿16.9K
35.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$10.5K ฿350.0K
68.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Koh Lanta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$60.3 ฿2,016
72.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$26.86 ฿898
72.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$90.5 ฿3,025
10.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$83.6 ฿2,795
49.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Koh Lanta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$440 ฿14.7K
261.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$280 ฿9,358
317.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$1,258 ฿42.1K
126.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$733 ฿24.5K
171.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$2,074 ฿69.3K
275.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$1,493 ฿49.9K
195.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Koh Lanta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
5.57
-30.88%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Koh Lanta: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Koh Lanta
$280 76% $889
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Koh Lanta
$242 11.5% $31
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Koh Lanta
$97 60.9% $151
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Koh Lanta
$119 44.8% $96
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Koh Lanta
$118 30.2% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Koh Lanta
$58 11.7% $7.6
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Koh Lanta
$14 * 78.1% $49

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $440 in Koh Lanta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $26.00 in Koh Lanta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $242 per month, with Koh Lanta cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇭 Koh Lanta
🕒 Local time
18:49 6:49 PM
00:49 12:49 AM
6 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
32,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Koh Lanta 11,020 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Koh Lanta

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 Koh Lanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Koh Lanta?
Lisbon and Koh Lanta differ by about 138% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $926 including rent). Koh Lanta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Koh Lanta?
You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $1,389 in Koh Lanta to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Koh Lanta?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $440 in Koh Lanta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Koh Lanta?
Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $505 in Koh Lanta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Koh Lanta – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $926 in Koh Lanta versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Lanta but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Lanta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Koh Lanta?
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.
Is Lisbon or Koh Lanta safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Koh Lanta are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Koh Lanta?
Expats usually find Koh Lanta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?