Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Nara, Japan

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,233 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
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Nara Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Nara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,233 in Nara.

Lisbon $2,210
Nara $1,233

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,851 in Nara.

Lisbon $3,275
Nara $1,851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,468 in Nara.

Lisbon $4,341
Nara $2,468

Living in Lisbon is roughly 79% more expensive than in Nara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Nara is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$6.33 ¥997

163.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$32.27 ¥5,089

91.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$4.99 ¥786

127.66%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.50 ¥394

18.80%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.26 ¥198

81.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.71 ¥112

145.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.21 ¥507

5.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.10 ¥489

6.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.57 ¥248

-26.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.30 ¥205

46.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.12 ¥649

-63.35%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.23 ¥352

80.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.75 ¥1,538

32.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$7.07 ¥1,115

9.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$18.13 ¥2,858

-2.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.30 ¥521

-30.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.93 ¥304

-10.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.12 ¥334

-12.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.08 ¥643

-36.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.50 ¥236

21.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.14 ¥179

72.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.13 ¥179

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.88 ¥138

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.88 ¥612

69.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.54 ¥1,504

-41.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.87 ¥295

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.15 ¥339

-0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.48 ¥234

57.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$74.3 ¥11.7K

-39.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.15 ¥497

22.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.92 ¥461

-63.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$15.66 ¥2,469

5.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.08 ¥170

103.70%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

57.11%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

152.83%

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

$161 €144

$118 ¥18.6K

36.74%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$24.81 ¥3,913

-25.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$30.74 ¥4,848

6.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$83.2 ¥13.1K

-46.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$7.58 ¥1,196

151.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$12.57 ¥1,982

-23.63%

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

$668 €598

$693 ¥109.2K

-3.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$13.3K ¥2.1M

32.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$47.11 ¥7,428

116.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$30.96 ¥4,882

43.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$61.8 ¥9,738

59.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$89.9 ¥14.2K

37.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$411 ¥64.8K

291.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$340 ¥53.6K

250.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$832 ¥131.2K

237.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$547 ¥86.2K

268.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,671 ¥421.1K

193.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,040 ¥321.7K

124.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,123 ¥177.0K

40.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.02

90.59%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Nara

$340 27.6% 71.4% $850

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Nara

$285 23.1% 4.5% $12

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Nara

$126 10.2% 48.2% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Nara

$173 14.1% 18.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Nara

$103 8.4% 37.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Nara

$108 8.8% 69.9% $45

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Nara

$98 8% 55.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $411 in Nara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 40% 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 $32 in Nara. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $285, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇯🇵 Nara

🕒 Local time

03:46 3:46 AM

12:46 12:46 PM

9 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

355,280

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Nara 11,090 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,233 in Nara, so Nara is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Lisbon, 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 $411 in Nara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $693 in Nara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,233 in Nara versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nara but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Nara 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.

It comes down to priorities – Nara wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.