Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kotor

For one person, living is cheaper in Kotor: $1,543 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Kotor
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Kotor Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Kotor

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kotor

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,543 in Kotor.

Lisbon $2,202
Kotor $1,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,446 in Kotor.

Lisbon $3,274
Kotor $2,446

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,350 in Kotor.

Lisbon $4,346
Kotor $3,350

Living in Lisbon is roughly 43% more expensive than in Kotor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Kotor 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$11.27 €10.03

51.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$59.7 €53.1

4.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.34 €10.08

-2.82%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.22 €2.86

-3.11%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.50 €2.22

-9.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.47 €1.30

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.02 €2.69

13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.16 €3.70

-10.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.33 €1.18

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.93 €0.83

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.98 €1.76

-22.22%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.57 €3.18

13.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.78 €7.81

47.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.49 €7.55

-6.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.57 €11.18

40.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.27 €1.13

77.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.68 €1.49

4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.55 €1.38

21.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.42 €2.15

5.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.88 €0.79

110.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.07 €0.95

84.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.44 €1.28

0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.86 €0.76

-10.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.41 €3.92

52.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.95 €7.07

-28.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.13 €1.01

21.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.75 €1.55

20.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.66 €1.48

39.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$44.59 €39.67

-0.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$0.79 €0.70

400.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.09 €0.97

-3.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$11.32 €10.07

51.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.70 €1.52

28.82%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$27.6K €24.5K

22.42%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$23.9K €21.2K

60.35%

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

$164 €146

$128 €113

28.40%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$17.30 €15.39

6.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$32.15 €28.60

2.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$45.75 €40.69

0.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$19.82 €17.63

-5.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$6.30 €5.60

54.76%

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

$684 €608

$335 €298

104.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$7,192 €6,398

145.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$88.9 €79.0

16.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$44.84 €39.88

3.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$96.0 €85.4

3.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$107 €95.0

16.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$683 €607

132.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$665 €591

75.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,343 €1,195

112.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,322 €1,176

50.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,875 €3,447

101.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,840 €2,526

55.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$950 €845

68.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.95

-35.29%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kotor: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Kotor

$665 43.1% 43.1% $504

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Kotor

$232 15% 15.1% $41

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Kotor

$202 13.1% 18.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Kotor

$177 11.5% 17.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Kotor

$151 9.8% 10.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Kotor

$58 3.8% 10.8% $7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kotor

$57 3.7% 8.7% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $683 in Kotor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 68% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $60.0 in Kotor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $232 per month, with Kotor cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇪 Kotor

🕒 Local time

13:53 1:53 PM

14:53 2:53 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

13,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Kotor 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min 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 Kotor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kotor is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 68% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $683 in Kotor. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $335 in Kotor. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,543 in Kotor versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kotor but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kotor the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kotor 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Kotor 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 Kotor gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.