Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Novo Mesto

For one person, living is cheaper in Novo Mesto: $1,493 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Novo Mesto
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Novo Mesto Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Novo Mesto

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,493

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Novo Mesto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,493 in Novo Mesto.

Lisbon $2,223
Novo Mesto $1,493

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,180 in Novo Mesto.

Lisbon $3,271
Novo Mesto $2,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,868 in Novo Mesto.

Lisbon $4,319
Novo Mesto $2,868

Living in Lisbon is roughly 49% more expensive than in Novo Mesto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Novo Mesto 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$11.17 €9.94

47.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$33.54 €29.83

82.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$8.79 €7.81

28.21%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.82 €1.62

68.13%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.28 €2.03

-0.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.55 €1.38

11.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.10 €2.76

9.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.86 €2.55

18.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.30 €1.16

-13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.82 €1.62

2.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.80 €2.49

-45.36%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.94 €3.51

0.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$13.48 €11.99

-5.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.40 €8.36

-15.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$9.11 €8.10

86.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.66 €1.48

36.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.76 €1.57

-0.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.00 €1.78

-7.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.35 €2.98

-23.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.15 €1.02

61.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.51 €1.34

33.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.26 €1.12

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.68 €0.61

20.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.69 €5.06

15.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.56 €5.83

-14.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.44 €1.28

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.77 €1.57

16.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.41 €1.26

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$34.82 €30.97

26.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.64 €1.46

143.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.36 €1.21

-19.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$27.93 €24.84

-40.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.60 €1.43

42.50%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$29.6K €26.3K

13.96%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$24.7K €22.0K

58.94%

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

$167 €149

$292 €260

-42.67%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$11.44 €10.17

64.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$38.87 €34.58

-14.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$50.9 €45.23

-9.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$33.61 €29.90

-42.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$7.93 €7.05

24.09%

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

$677 €602

$509 €452

33.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$11.4K €10.1K

48.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$91.2 €81.1

10.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$38.04 €33.84

20.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$121 €108

-17.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$144 €128

-14.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$504 €448

220.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$424 €377

182.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$836 €744

242.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$728 €648

173.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,809 €2,499

169.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,235 €2,878

33.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,458 €1,297

8.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.29

17.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Novo Mesto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Novo Mesto

$424 28.4% 64.6% $774

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Novo Mesto

$260 17.4% 3.4% $9.3

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Novo Mesto

$174 11.7% 28.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Novo Mesto

$342 22.9% 56.1% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Novo Mesto

$178 11.9% 6.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Novo Mesto

$67 4.5% 1.5% $1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Novo Mesto

$49 3.3% 22.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $504 in Novo Mesto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 9% 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 $34.00 in Novo Mesto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $260 per month, with Novo Mesto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇮 Novo Mesto

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

23,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Novo Mesto 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min 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 Novo Mesto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Novo Mesto differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,493 including rent). Novo Mesto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% 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 $504 in Novo Mesto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $509 in Novo Mesto. 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 $1,493 in Novo Mesto versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Novo Mesto but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Novo Mesto 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 Novo Mesto 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 Novo Mesto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.