Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Niksic

For one person, living is cheaper in Niksic: $986 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Niksic
Learn more

Niksic Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Niksic

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Niksic

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $986 in Niksic.

Lisbon $2,223
Niksic $986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,468 in Niksic.

Lisbon $3,271
Niksic $1,468

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,950 in Niksic.

Lisbon $4,319
Niksic $1,950

Living in Lisbon is roughly 125% more expensive than in Niksic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Niksic is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$7.94 €7.07

114.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$30.49 €27.12

104.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.76 €5.12

91.32%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.70 €1.51

83.53%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.85 €1.65

22.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.14 €1.02

52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.01 €1.79

70.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.17 €1.93

72.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.09 €0.97

7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.88 €0.78

111.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.90 €1.69

-18.95%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.18 €2.83

27.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$7.59 €6.75

70.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$5.96 €5.30

32.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.85 €9.65

62.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.09 €0.97

107.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.26 €1.12

38.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.29 €1.15

46.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.12 €1.88

20.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.91 €0.81

103.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.06 €0.95

85.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.04 €0.93

39.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.84 €0.74

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.22 €3.76

59.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.13 €4.56

10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.90 €0.80

52.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.11 €0.99

90.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.09 €0.97

112.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$33.41 €29.72

32.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$0.58 €0.51

581.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.54 €0.48

94.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$7.21 €6.41

137.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.77 €1.57

23.73%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$21.5K €19.1K

57.33%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$25.7K €22.8K

49.00%

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

$164 €146

$123 €109

33.21%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$23.36 €20.78

-20.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$23.80 €21.17

38.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$33.17 €29.51

38.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$10.53 €9.37

77.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.64 €5.02

72.87%

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

$684 €608

$81.9 €72.9

735.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$4,517 €4,018

290.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$82.3 €73.2

26.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$31.53 €28.05

46.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$89.4 €79.5

11.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$112 €99.5

11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$412 €366

286.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$271 €241

330.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$600 €534

375.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$403 €359

394.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,667 €1,483

367.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,215 €1,081

263.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$806 €717

98.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.5

-30.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Niksic: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Niksic

$271 27.5% 76.8% $898

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Niksic

$190 19.3% 30.4% $83

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Niksic

$128 12.9% 48.5% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Niksic

$170 17.3% 21% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Niksic

$142 14.4% 15.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Niksic

$44 4.5% 32% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Niksic

$41 4.2% 34.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $412 in Niksic. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 97% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $30.00 in Niksic for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $190 per month, with Niksic cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇪 Niksic

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

11:59 11:59 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

56,970

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Niksic 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Niksic

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 Niksic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Niksic differ by about 125% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $986 including rent). Niksic is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 97% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $412 in Niksic. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $81.9 in Niksic. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $986 in Niksic versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Niksic but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Niksic 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 Niksic 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 Niksic gentler on the wallet – expenses run 125% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.