Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Koura

For one person, living is cheaper in Koura: $1,223 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Koura, Lebanon
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Koura
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$1,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Koura

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,223 in Koura, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Koura $1,223

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,925 in Koura, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Koura $1,925

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,628 in Koura, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Koura $2,628

Lisbon costs about 81% more than Koura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Koura is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Koura
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$11.99 LBP 1.1M
38.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$69.7 LBP 6.2M
-11.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$10.17 LBP 910.0K
11.70%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$4.56 LBP 408.3K
-34.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$2.36 LBP 211.0K
-2.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.83 LBP 74.7K
109.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$4.88 LBP 437.0K
-30.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$4.68 LBP 418.8K
-29.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Koura
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$2.00 LBP 178.6K
-42.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$0.84 LBP 75.3K
127.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$2.16 LBP 193.2K
-30.09%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$3.67 LBP 328.2K
9.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$10.98 LBP 983.1K
17.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$10.81 LBP 967.4K
-28.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$15.09 LBP 1.4M
17.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.99 LBP 267.6K
-23.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.73 LBP 154.8K
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.61 LBP 144.4K
15.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$1.48 LBP 132.6K
75.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$1.25 LBP 111.9K
45.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.60 LBP 143.3K
23.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.18 LBP 105.4K
24.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.67 LBP 60.0K
7.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$3.01 LBP 269.5K
118.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$11.20 LBP 1.0M
-49.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.28 LBP 114.6K
6.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.47 LBP 221.3K
-13.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Koura
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$2.05 LBP 183.4K
13.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$5.14 LBP 460.4K
-25.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$2.21 LBP 197.8K
-51.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$22.19 LBP 2.0M
-25.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$0.95 LBP 84.9K
131.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$54.4K LBP 4.9B
-37.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$32.6K LBP 2.9B
18.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Koura
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$215 LBP 19.2M
-25.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$23.66 LBP 2.1M
-22.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$37.94 LBP 3.4M
-13.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Koura
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
$24.51 LBP 2.2M
81.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
$9.82 LBP 878.9K
94.50%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$9.90 LBP 886.4K
-3.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Koura
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$679 LBP 60.8M
-1.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$10.4K LBP 933.6M
68.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Koura
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$68.1 LBP 6.1M
49.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$50.1 LBP 4.5M
-11.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$140 LBP 12.5M
-29.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$121 LBP 10.8M
2.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Koura
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
$245 LBP 21.9M
556.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$203 LBP 18.1M
486.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$453 LBP 40.6M
520.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
$347 LBP 31.0M
480.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
$1,132 LBP 101.3M
592.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
$860 LBP 77.0M
431.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Koura
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$602 LBP 53.9M
161.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
11
-65.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Koura: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Koura
$203 83% $987
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Koura
$277 1.6% $4.2
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Koura
$228 6.2% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Koura
$277 30.2% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Koura
$170 2.8% $4.6
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Koura
$44 30.5% $19
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Koura
$24 * 61.4% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $245 in Koura. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $70 in Koura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $277 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇱🇧 Koura
🕒 Local time
22:14 10:14 PM
00:14 12:14 AM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Koura 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Koura

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 Koura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Koura?
Lisbon costs about 81% more than Koura, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Lisbon and in Koura?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,834 in Koura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Lisbon or Koura?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Koura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $245 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
How much does it cost to live in Lisbon compared to Koura?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,223 in Koura. That makes Koura about 45% cheaper.
How do dining costs compare in Lisbon and in Koura?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $70 in Koura. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Lisbon or in Koura?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,223 in Koura. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Lisbon or Koura?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,223 in Koura to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Lisbon or to Koura?
If budget matters most, go with Koura. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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