Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Moscow

For one person, living is cheaper in Moscow: $1,793 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Moscow

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $1,793 in Moscow.

Lisbon $2,203
Moscow $1,793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $2,813 in Moscow.

Lisbon $3,237
Moscow $2,813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $3,833 in Moscow.

Lisbon $4,272
Moscow $3,833

Living in Lisbon is roughly 23% more expensive than in Moscow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, Moscow 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.18

$11.81 ₽1,005

44.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €56.0

$57.9 ₽4,929

8.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.19

$7.25 ₽617

57.52%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.76

$3.64 ₽310

-15.11%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$1.65 ₽140

43.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$0.81 ₽68.7

104.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.09

$4.72 ₽402

-26.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$5.42 ₽461

-39.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.25 ₽106

-6.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.00 ₽85.4

87.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.71 ₽146

-11.11%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$1.91 ₽163

103.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.49

$14.59 ₽1,242

-11.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$6.65 ₽566

19.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.73

$14.46 ₽1,230

21.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.03 ₽173

11.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.86 ₽158

-5.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.03 ₽173

-7.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$3.93 ₽334

-37.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.93 ₽78.8

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.70 ₽59.9

195.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.55 ₽132

-10.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.96 ₽81.5

-15.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$3.41 ₽291

102.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$11.56 ₽984

-52.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.20 ₽102

10.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.49 ₽212

-12.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$0.95 ₽80.9

135.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.29

$40.22 ₽3,422

12.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$3.56 ₽303

12.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.86 ₽73.0

24.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.75

$11.77 ₽1,001

40.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$0.90 ₽76.2

151.11%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$38.7K ₽3.3M

-13.42%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$38.0K ₽3.2M

6.49%

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

$164 €146

$191 ₽16.2K

-14.27%

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

$18.54 €16.55

$8.72 ₽742

112.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.64

$9.98 ₽849

232.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.06

$42.15 ₽3,587

9.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.78

$45.14 ₽3,841

-58.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.45

$9.31 ₽793

1.72%

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

$690 €615

$811 ₽69.0K

-14.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$27.0K ₽2.3M

-37.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$110 ₽9,363

-4.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.40

$63.4 ₽5,390

-28.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.3

$146 ₽12.5K

-32.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$184 ₽15.6K

-32.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,413

$1,469 ₽125.0K

7.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,079

$820 ₽69.8K

47.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,528

$3,026 ₽257.5K

-6.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$1,494 ₽127.2K

31.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,821

$9,853 ₽838.4K

-22.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,954

$4,613 ₽392.5K

-3.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,403

$1,741 ₽148.1K

-9.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

19.56

-80.62%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Moscow: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Moscow

$820 44.7% 32.2% $389

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Moscow

$263 14.3% 3.5% $9.4

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Moscow

$204 11.1% 17.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Moscow

$210 11.4% 2.7% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Moscow

$226 12.3% 35% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Moscow

$61 3.3% 6.4% $4.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Moscow

$52 2.8% 18.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Lisbon and $1,469 in Moscow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Moscow pays 11% 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 $58.0 in Moscow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $263 per month, with Moscow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇺 Moscow

🕒 Local time

07:21 7:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

12,700,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Moscow 3,910 km ≈ 5 h 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Moscow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Moscow differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,203 vs $1,793 including rent). Moscow is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Moscow. 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 $1,469 in Moscow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $690 in Lisbon versus $811 in Moscow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,793 in Moscow versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Moscow but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Moscow 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Moscow 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 Moscow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.