Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Orhei

For one person, living is cheaper in Orhei: $356 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Orhei

🇲🇩 Moldova

$356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Orhei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $356 in Orhei.

Lisbon $2,206
Orhei $356

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $580 in Orhei.

Lisbon $3,276
Orhei $580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $804 in Orhei.

Lisbon $4,346
Orhei $804

Living in Lisbon is roughly 520% more expensive than in Orhei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Orhei is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.02

$10.94 MDL 193

54.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$22.12 MDL 391

175.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$7.06 MDL 125

55.52%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.36 MDL 24.05

124.26%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.79 MDL 13.91

188.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.43 MDL 7.67

290.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.13 MDL 19.88

204.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$1.36 MDL 24.09

187.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.02 MDL 17.99

12.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.32 MDL 5.61

490.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$1.87 MDL 33.04

120.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.59

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.17

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.94

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.96 MDL 34.65

-11.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.61 MDL 10.82

190.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.51 MDL 8.95

49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.16 MDL 2.90

1337.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.08 MDL 19.09

268.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.66 MDL 29.37

37.35%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$20.2K MDL 356.9K

90.52%

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

$158 €141

$60.0 MDL 1,059

163.87%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$6.76 MDL 119

159.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.78

$10.23 MDL 181

204.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.77

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$3.32 MDL 58.7

188.55%

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

$674 €600

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$32.95 MDL 582

210.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

$33.82 MDL 597

35.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$104 MDL 1,837

-1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$33.20 MDL 586

267.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,516

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,798

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Orhei: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Orhei

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Orhei

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Orhei

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Orhei

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Orhei

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Orhei

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Orhei

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $22 in Orhei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $41 per month, with Orhei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇩 Orhei

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

24,918

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.66 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.82 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Orhei 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Orhei

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 Orhei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $356 in Orhei, so Orhei is about 84% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $534 in Orhei to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Orhei – a meal for two runs $22 versus $61 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $356 in Orhei – Orhei is about 84% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $356 in Orhei versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Orhei but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Orhei 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 Orhei are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.