Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Novi Sad

For one person, living is cheaper in Novi Sad: $1,393 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,393

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Novi Sad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,393 in Novi Sad.

Lisbon $2,210
Novi Sad $1,393

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,154 in Novi Sad.

Lisbon $3,275
Novi Sad $2,154

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,915 in Novi Sad.

Lisbon $4,341
Novi Sad $2,915

Living in Lisbon is roughly 59% more expensive than in Novi Sad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Novi Sad 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$10.11 RSD 1,059

64.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$50.2 RSD 5,255

23.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$12.06 RSD 1,263

-5.80%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.65 RSD 278

12.08%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.37 RSD 248

-3.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.82 RSD 191

-4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.93 RSD 307

16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.72 RSD 390

-11.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.39 RSD 146

-16.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.93 RSD 97.5

105.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.65 RSD 278

-43.02%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.67 RSD 280

50.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.46 RSD 1,410

-3.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$7.21 RSD 756

7.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$14.06 RSD 1,473

26.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.76 RSD 184

30.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.90 RSD 199

-8.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.66 RSD 174

12.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.54 RSD 266

1.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.00 RSD 104

82.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.69 RSD 72.5

185.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.95 RSD 99.5

54.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.68 RSD 71.5

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.69 RSD 492

40.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.79 RSD 816

-27.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.87 RSD 90.9

56.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.30 RSD 241

-6.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.94 RSD 98.4

147.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$24.22 RSD 2,537

84.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.31 RSD 242

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.92 RSD 96.2

16.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$10.42 RSD 1,092

57.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.81 RSD 190

21.55%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$30.1K RSD 3.2M

13.52%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$23.8K RSD 2.5M

63.05%

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

$161 €144

$224 RSD 23.5K

-28.11%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$20.29 RSD 2,125

-9.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$33.84 RSD 3,544

-3.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$34.97 RSD 3,663

27.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$11.12 RSD 1,165

71.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.88 RSD 721

39.53%

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

$668 €598

$364 RSD 38.1K

83.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,540 RSD 789.7K

133.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$117 RSD 12.3K

-12.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$44.36 RSD 4,647

0.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$135 RSD 14.1K

-27.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$124 RSD 13.0K

-0.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$509 RSD 53.3K

216.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$411 RSD 43.0K

189.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,034 RSD 108.3K

172.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$824 RSD 86.3K

144.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,595 RSD 376.5K

118.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,621 RSD 274.6K

74.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,230 RSD 128.9K

28.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.17

-25.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Novi Sad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Novi Sad

$411 29.5% 65.5% $779

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Novi Sad

$244 17.5% 10.6% $29

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Novi Sad

$188 13.5% 22.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Novi Sad

$278 20% 31.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Novi Sad

$189 13.6% 14.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Novi Sad

$49 3.5% 23.5% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Novi Sad

$35 2.5% 44.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $509 in Novi Sad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 28% 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 $50 in Novi Sad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $244 per month, with Novi Sad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

03:54 3:54 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

260,438

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, 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).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Novi Sad 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Novi Sad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,393 in Novi Sad, so Novi Sad is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% 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 $509 in Novi Sad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $364 in Novi Sad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Novi Sad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Novi Sad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.