Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kukes

For one person, living is cheaper in Kukes: $750 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Kukes
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Kukes Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Kukes

🇦🇱 Albania

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kukes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $750 in Kukes.

Lisbon $2,210
Kukes $750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,115 in Kukes.

Lisbon $3,275
Kukes $1,115

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,480 in Kukes.

Lisbon $4,341
Kukes $1,480

Living in Lisbon is roughly 195% more expensive than in Kukes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Kukes is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$3.63 ALL 293

358.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$22.06 ALL 1,782

179.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.57 ALL 612

50.07%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.49 ALL 121

99.33%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.40 ALL 113

63.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.64 ALL 51.5

171.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.89 ALL 153

79.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.25 ALL 182

47.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.59 ALL 128

-27.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.78 ALL 63.0

144.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.10 ALL 170

-28.10%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.72 ALL 220

47.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$9.23 ALL 745

40.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$7.39 ALL 597

5.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$10.49 ALL 847

69.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.98 ALL 79.0

134.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.91 ALL 154

-9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$0.95 ALL 76.4

95.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.59 ALL 129

62.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.77 ALL 62.3

136.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.02 ALL 82.3

93.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.08 ALL 87.3

36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.70 ALL 56.6

2.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.41 ALL 356

49.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$7.51 ALL 607

-25.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.09 ALL 88.0

24.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.64 ALL 132

30.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.50 ALL 40.72

366.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$19.35 ALL 1,563

130.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.80 ALL 307

1.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.80 ALL 307

-71.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$4.91 ALL 396

235.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.25 ALL 182

-2.22%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.8K ALL 2.7M

1.05%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$24.8K ALL 2.0M

55.90%

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

$161 €145

$61.4 ALL 4,962

162.40%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$16.50 ALL 1,332

11.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$17.09 ALL 1,380

91.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$57.5 ALL 4,640

-22.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$12.40 ALL 1,002

54.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$3.62 ALL 292

165.19%

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

$668 €600

$99.3 ALL 8,022

572.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$37.24 ALL 3,008

173.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$28.06 ALL 2,267

58.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$50.2 ALL 4,055

96.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$44.89 ALL 3,626

175.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$235 ALL 18.9K

585.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$175 ALL 14.1K

581.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$281 ALL 22.7K

902.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$207 ALL 16.7K

871.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$1,941 ALL 156.8K

303.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,312 ALL 106.0K

248.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$544 ALL 43.9K

189.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-23.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kukes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kukes

$175 23.3% 85.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Kukes

$208 27.7% 23.6% $64

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Kukes

$92 12.2% 62.2% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Kukes

$95 12.7% 55.3% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kukes

$72 9.6% 56.5% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kukes

$65 8.6% 1.5% $0.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kukes

$44 5.9% 30.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $235 in Kukes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.9 times 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 in Lisbon vs $22 in Kukes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $208 per month, with Kukes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇱 Kukes

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

18:39 6:39 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

47,985

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.77 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.91 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Kukes 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Kukes

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 Kukes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kukes is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. The 195% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.9 times higher, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $235 in Kukes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kukes runs roughly 57% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $99 in Kukes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $750 in Kukes versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kukes but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kukes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Kukes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.