Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Leova

For one person, living is cheaper in Leova: $1,341 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Leova, Moldova
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Leova
🇲🇩 Moldova
$1,341
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Leova

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,341 in Leova.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Leova $1,341

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,057 in Leova.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Leova $2,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,773 in Leova.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Leova $2,773

Living in Lisbon is roughly 65% more expensive than in Leova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Leova
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$10.31 MDL 184
61.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$33.24 MDL 594
85.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$8.94 MDL 160
27.07%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$0.81 MDL 14.57
266.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$0.49 MDL 8.72
367.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.40 MDL 7.23
335.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$2.48 MDL 44.42
37.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.64 MDL 47.13
25.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Leova
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.69 MDL 30.16
-31.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$1.47 MDL 26.27
29.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.38 MDL 24.63
9.42%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$1.36 MDL 24.39
195.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$13.70 MDL 245
-5.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$2.29 MDL 41.01
239.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$4.03 MDL 72.0
340.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$1.28 MDL 22.86
79.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$0.86 MDL 15.35
101.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$0.94 MDL 16.78
97.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$1.09 MDL 19.46
137.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$1.52 MDL 27.23
19.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$0.53 MDL 9.52
271.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.46 MDL 8.29
219.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.98 MDL 17.56
-26.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$4.41 MDL 78.9
49.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$14.81 MDL 265
-62.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.13 MDL 20.23
20.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$2.67 MDL 47.75
-19.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Leova
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$0.37 MDL 6.70
529.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$27.71 MDL 495
61.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$2.72 MDL 48.62
41.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.54 MDL 9.58
98.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$3.42 MDL 61.2
381.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.35 MDL 24.13
62.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$34.1K MDL 609.5K
0.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$34.0K MDL 607.0K
14.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Leova
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$184 MDL 3,285
-12.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$5.51 MDL 98.6
234.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$20.70 MDL 370
58.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Leova
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$83.2 MDL 1,488
-46.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$11.26 MDL 201
69.63%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$4.52 MDL 80.8
112.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Leova
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Leova
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$83.7 MDL 1,496
21.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$54.4 MDL 972
-18.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$95.4 MDL 1,705
3.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$110 MDL 1,965
12.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Leova
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$641 MDL 11.5K
151.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$521 MDL 9,320
128.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$1,506 MDL 26.9K
86.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$1,086 MDL 19.4K
85.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$2,489 MDL 44.5K
214.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$1,885 MDL 33.7K
142.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Leova
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$653 MDL 11.7K
141.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
7.19
-46.45%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Leova: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Leova
$521 56.2% $669
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Leova
$188 31% $85
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Leova
$140 42.2% $102
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Leova
$210 1.1% $2.4
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Leova
$154 6.9% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Leova
$92 44.8% $29
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Leova
$35 45.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $641 in Leova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $33 in Leova for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $188 per month, with Leova cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇲🇩 Leova
🕒 Local time
21:07 9:07 PM
23:07 11:07 PM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
10,900
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Leova 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Leova

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 Leova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Leova cheaper than Lisbon?
Leova is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Lisbon or Leova?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Lisbon and Leova?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $641 in Leova. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Lisbon and in Leova?
Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Lisbon and in Leova?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,341 in Leova – Leova is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Lisbon or in Leova?
At $1,341 in Leova versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Leova but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Leova the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Lisbon or in Leova?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Leova gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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