Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Krakow

For one person, living is cheaper in Krakow: $1,811 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
Learn more

Krakow Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Krakow

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $1,811 in Krakow.

Lisbon $2,203
Krakow $1,811

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $2,597 in Krakow.

Lisbon $3,237
Krakow $2,597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $3,383 in Krakow.

Lisbon $4,272
Krakow $3,383

Living in Lisbon is roughly 22% more expensive than in Krakow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, Krakow 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.17

$11.89 zł 46.38

43.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €55.9

$50.2 zł 196

24.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.18

$9.96 zł 38.86

14.66%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.75

$4.12 zł 16.06

-25.00%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$2.57 zł 10.04

-7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.44 zł 9.51

-31.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.08

$4.57 zł 17.85

-24.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$4.56 zł 17.81

-27.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.06 zł 4.12

10.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.47 zł 5.73

27.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.69 zł 6.61

-10.06%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$3.95 zł 15.40

-1.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.48

$9.31 zł 36.31

38.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$7.75 zł 30.24

2.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.72

$13.20 zł 51.5

33.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.34 zł 5.22

68.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.69 zł 6.61

4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.76 zł 6.85

6.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$3.06 zł 11.93

-19.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.92 zł 3.61

102.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.98 zł 3.82

111.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.23 zł 4.80

13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.80 zł 3.13

1.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$6.22 zł 24.29

10.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$6.30 zł 24.57

-12.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.18 zł 4.62

12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.77 zł 6.89

22.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.50 zł 5.85

49.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.25

$33.54 zł 131

34.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$2.28 zł 8.89

75.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.99 zł 3.88

8.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.74

$12.22 zł 47.70

35.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.69 zł 6.61

33.73%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$30.4K zł 118.8K

10.05%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$28.9K zł 112.7K

40.12%

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

$164 €146

$333 zł 1,299

-50.86%

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

$18.54 €16.53

$8.71 zł 33.98

112.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.61

$17.32 zł 67.6

91.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.02

$45.70 zł 178

0.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.77

$25.11 zł 98.0

-25.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.44

$8.69 zł 33.90

8.98%

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

$690 €615

$463 zł 1,805

49.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$9,594 zł 37.4K

75.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$99.1 zł 387

5.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.37

$40.31 zł 157

12.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.2

$90.3 zł 352

9.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$119 zł 464

4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,411

$946 zł 3,692

67.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,078

$717 zł 2,800

68.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,526

$1,440 zł 5,620

96.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,751

$1,136 zł 4,432

72.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,815

$5,602 zł 21.9K

36.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,951

$3,540 zł 13.8K

25.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,402

$1,855 zł 7,238

-15.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

6.62

-42.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Krakow: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Krakow

$717 39.8% 40.7% $492

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Krakow

$235 13% 13.8% $37

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Krakow

$226 12.6% 8.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Krakow

$359 19.9% 66.7% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Krakow

$157 8.7% 6.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Krakow

$63 3.5% 2.9% $1.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Krakow

$47 2.6% 26.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Lisbon and $946 in Krakow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $50.0 in Krakow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $235 per month, with Krakow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇱 Krakow

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

07:02 7:02 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

806,201

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Krakow 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Krakow

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 Krakow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Krakow wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Krakow the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Krakow. 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: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $946 in Krakow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Krakow – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $63.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,811 in Krakow versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Krakow but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Krakow the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Krakow delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,811 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Krakow hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Krakow 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 Krakow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.