Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Nicosia

For one person, living is cheaper in Nicosia: $1,834 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nicosia
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Nicosia Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Nicosia

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Nicosia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,834 in Nicosia.

Lisbon $2,210
Nicosia $1,834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,858 in Nicosia.

Lisbon $3,275
Nicosia $2,858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,882 in Nicosia.

Lisbon $4,341
Nicosia $3,882

Living in Lisbon is roughly 21% more expensive than in Nicosia.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Nicosia 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.56 €14.84

0.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$68.3 €61.2

-9.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.92 €7.99

27.35%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.75 €3.36

-20.80%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.32 €2.07

-1.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.87 €0.78

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.39 €3.93

-22.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.52 €4.95

-40.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.87 €1.68

-37.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.99 €1.78

-4.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.78 €2.49

-45.68%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.75 €4.25

-15.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$12.85 €11.51

0.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$8.73 €7.82

-11.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$13.06 €11.70

35.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.45 €3.10

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.04 €1.83

-15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.57 €2.30

-27.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.50 €3.14

-26.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.89 €1.69

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.59 €1.42

23.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.91 €0.82

61.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.14 €1.03

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.42 €4.86

21.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.73 €6.93

-27.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.71 €1.53

-20.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.72 €2.44

-21.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.60 €2.33

-10.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$44.25 €39.65

0.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$6.10 €5.46

-36.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.98 €1.77

-45.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$44.92 €40.25

-63.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.73 €1.55

27.17%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$30.8K €27.6K

10.96%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$32.8K €29.4K

18.07%

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

$161 €144

$208 €186

-22.51%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$20.45 €18.32

-9.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$32.64 €29.25

0.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$73.5 €65.9

-39.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$19.22 €17.22

-0.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.31 €10.13

-15.12%

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

$668 €598

$520 €466

28.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$9,426 €8,446

86.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$103 €91.9

-0.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$55.5 €49.75

-19.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$98.2 €88.0

0.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$117 €105

5.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$784 €703

105.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$685 €614

73.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,689 €1,514

66.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,307 €1,171

54.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,120 €2,796

151.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,327 €2,085

96.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,852 €1,659

-14.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.48

-14.06%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nicosia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Nicosia

$685 37.4% 42.5% $505

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Nicosia

$303 16.5% 11.3% $31

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Nicosia

$250 13.6% 3% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Nicosia

$261 14.2% 23% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Nicosia

$168 9.2% 1.2% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Nicosia

$96 5.2% 50.8% $32

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Nicosia

$71 3.9% 11.8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $784 in Nicosia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nicosia pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $68 in Nicosia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $303 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇾 Nicosia

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

310,355 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Nicosia 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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 Nicosia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $784 in Nicosia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,834 in Nicosia – Nicosia is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Nicosia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.