Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lake Balaton

For one person, living is cheaper in Lake Balaton: $1,103 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Lake Balaton
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Lake Balaton Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Lake Balaton

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lake Balaton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,103 in Lake Balaton.

Lisbon $2,210
Lake Balaton $1,103

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,672 in Lake Balaton.

Lisbon $3,275
Lake Balaton $1,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,241 in Lake Balaton.

Lisbon $4,341
Lake Balaton $2,241

Living in Lisbon is roughly 100% more expensive than in Lake Balaton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Lake Balaton is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$8.70 Ft 2,869

91.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$46.14 Ft 15.2K

33.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$8.40 Ft 2,771

35.24%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.02 Ft 666

47.03%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.35 Ft 445

69.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.94 Ft 309

85.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.90 Ft 626

78.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.21 Ft 727

49.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.06 Ft 348

9.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.54 Ft 506

24.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.82 Ft 599

-17.03%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.61 Ft 859

54.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$9.54 Ft 3,144

35.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$5.96 Ft 1,966

30.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$11.80 Ft 3,889

50.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.80 Ft 592

27.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.96 Ft 647

-11.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.00 Ft 658

-7.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.82 Ft 928

-8.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.10 Ft 361

65.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.21 Ft 399

62.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.45 Ft 477

1.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.52 Ft 172

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.74 Ft 2,221

-2.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$5.94 Ft 1,957

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.03 Ft 339

32.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.46 Ft 480

46.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.17 Ft 386

99.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$25.01 Ft 8,245

78.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.82 Ft 929

36.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.13 Ft 371

-5.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$17.19 Ft 5,669

-4.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.76 Ft 581

25.00%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$26.1K Ft 8.6M

30.91%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$30.5K Ft 10.0M

27.14%

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

$161 €145

$144 Ft 47.6K

11.73%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$26.23 Ft 8,647

-29.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$19.86 Ft 6,549

64.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$46.36 Ft 15.3K

-3.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$16.56 Ft 5,460

15.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$7.26 Ft 2,395

32.23%

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

$668 €600

$295 Ft 97.1K

126.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,542 Ft 2.2M

169.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$70.1 Ft 23.1K

45.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$27.04 Ft 8,915

64.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$71.5 Ft 23.6K

37.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$81.2 Ft 26.8K

52.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$438 Ft 144.5K

267.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$341 Ft 112.6K

248.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$639 Ft 210.8K

339.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$529 Ft 174.3K

280.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,968 Ft 978.5K

164.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,314 Ft 763.0K

97.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.4

-47.97%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lake Balaton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Lake Balaton

$341 30.9% 71.3% $849

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Lake Balaton

$218 19.8% 20% $54

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Lake Balaton

$142 12.9% 41.4% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Lake Balaton

$190 17.3% 10.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Lake Balaton

$112 10.2% 32.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Lake Balaton

$61 5.5% 4.5% $2.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Lake Balaton

$38 3.5% 39.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $438 in Lake Balaton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $46 in Lake Balaton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $218 per month, with Lake Balaton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇭🇺 Lake Balaton

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

275,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Lake Balaton 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Lake Balaton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Balaton is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 100% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,655 in Lake Balaton to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $438 in Lake Balaton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $295 in Lake Balaton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,103 in Lake Balaton versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lake Balaton but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Lake Balaton 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 Lake Balaton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.