Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kyoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyoto: $1,290 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Kyoto, Japan
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Kyoto
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,290
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kyoto

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,290 in Kyoto, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Kyoto $1,290

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,932 in Kyoto, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Kyoto $1,932

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,574 in Kyoto, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Kyoto $2,574

Lisbon costs about 71% more than Kyoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Kyoto is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Kyoto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$9.77 ¥1,539
70.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$32.34 ¥5,094
90.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$5.11 ¥806
122.31%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$3.22 ¥506
-7.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.89 ¥141
157.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.71 ¥111
145.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$3.22 ¥508
5.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$5.85 ¥921
-43.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Kyoto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.55 ¥245
-25.16%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.61 ¥253
18.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$5.84 ¥921
-74.14%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$2.11 ¥332
90.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$8.84 ¥1,392
46.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$7.92 ¥1,248
-1.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$10.70 ¥1,686
65.98%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$5.19 ¥817
-55.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$2.37 ¥374
-27.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$5.15 ¥812
-63.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$3.69 ¥581
-29.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$1.87 ¥294
-2.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.66 ¥261
18.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.14 ¥180
28.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.94 ¥148
-23.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$4.04 ¥637
62.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$7.73 ¥1,218
-27.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.61 ¥254
-15.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$3.37 ¥530
-36.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Kyoto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$1.42 ¥224
64.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
$62.1 ¥9,781
-28.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$3.30 ¥519
16.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$3.88 ¥611
-72.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.10 ¥174
100.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$22.7K ¥3.6M
50.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$15.5K ¥2.4M
149.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Kyoto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$101 ¥15.9K
59.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$23.51 ¥3,703
-21.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$30.41 ¥4,790
7.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Kyoto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
$51.6 ¥8,126
-13.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
$18.87 ¥2,973
1.22%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$13.72 ¥2,161
-30.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Kyoto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$718 ¥113.1K
-7.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$6,490 ¥1.0M
171.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Kyoto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$56.7 ¥8,936
79.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$45.07 ¥7,100
-1.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$70.3 ¥11.1K
40.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$102 ¥16.1K
20.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Kyoto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
$638 ¥100.5K
152.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$379 ¥59.8K
213.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$1,176 ¥185.2K
139.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
$577 ¥90.9K
248.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
$4,226 ¥665.7K
85.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
$2,921 ¥460.1K
56.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Kyoto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$1,873 ¥295.0K
-15.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
2.23
72.65%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kyoto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Kyoto
$379 68.1% $811
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Kyoto
$296 8.6% $24
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Kyoto
$166 31.5% $76
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Kyoto
$155 27% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Kyoto
$123 25.6% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Kyoto
$79 24% $15
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Kyoto
$90 43.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $638 in Kyoto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 19% higher in Kyoto, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $32 in Kyoto. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Lisbon vs $296 in Kyoto – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇯🇵 Kyoto
🕒 Local time
22:03 10:03 PM
07:03 7:03 AM
9 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
1,475,183
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Kyoto 11,060 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Kyoto

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 Kyoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Lisbon and in Kyoto compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,290 in Kyoto – Kyoto comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Kyoto?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,934 in Kyoto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Lisbon and Kyoto?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyoto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $638 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $32 in Kyoto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kyoto, where all-in costs run around $1,290, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Kyoto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should digital nomads live: Lisbon or Kyoto?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kyoto costs $1,290 versus $2,210 in Lisbon. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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