Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Oslo

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Oslo, Norway
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Oslo
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,538
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Oslo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,538 in Oslo.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Oslo $3,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $5,096 in Oslo.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Oslo $5,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $6,653 in Oslo.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Oslo $6,653

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 38% less than in Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Oslo 160% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Oslo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$21.75 NOK 202
-23.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$130 NOK 1,206
-52.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$16.04 NOK 149
-29.18%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$5.84 NOK 54.3
-49.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$4.38 NOK 40.67
-47.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$3.35 NOK 31.10
-48.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$11.65 NOK 108
-70.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$12.81 NOK 119
-74.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Oslo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$2.61 NOK 24.27
-55.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$4.38 NOK 40.73
-56.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$4.70 NOK 43.68
-67.87%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$6.25 NOK 58.1
-35.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$15.48 NOK 144
-16.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$15.84 NOK 147
-50.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$32.30 NOK 300
-45.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$3.36 NOK 31.17
-31.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$2.72 NOK 25.31
-36.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$3.65 NOK 33.92
-49.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$5.96 NOK 55.4
-56.54%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$2.69 NOK 25.03
-32.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$2.85 NOK 26.48
-30.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$3.26 NOK 30.30
-54.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$2.50 NOK 23.22
-71.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$19.21 NOK 178
-65.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$16.64 NOK 155
-66.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$3.60 NOK 33.45
-62.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$4.23 NOK 39.25
-49.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Oslo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$5.02 NOK 46.65
-53.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$83.5 NOK 775
-46.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$12.39 NOK 115
-68.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.84 NOK 17.12
-41.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$70.8 NOK 658
-76.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$2.48 NOK 23.05
-11.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$49.9K NOK 463.6K
-31.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$44.7K NOK 415.1K
-13.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Oslo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$433 NOK 4,027
-62.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$34.50 NOK 321
-46.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$55.7 NOK 517
-41.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Oslo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$58.1 NOK 540
-23.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$29.79 NOK 277
-35.88%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$20.78 NOK 193
-53.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Oslo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$240 NOK 2,226
178.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$16.2K NOK 150.2K
8.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Oslo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$104 NOK 969
-2.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$61.8 NOK 574
-28.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$135 NOK 1,253
-26.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$160 NOK 1,487
-22.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Oslo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$2,133 NOK 19.8K
-24.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$1,645 NOK 15.3K
-27.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$3,270 NOK 30.4K
-13.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$2,466 NOK 22.9K
-18.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$12.4K NOK 114.9K
-36.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$7,462 NOK 69.3K
-38.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Oslo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$4,703 NOK 43.7K
-66.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.94
-22.06%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Oslo
$1.6K 38.2% $455
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Oslo
$530 94.8% $258
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Oslo
$407 67.8% $164
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Oslo
$524 147% $311
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Oslo
$207 25% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Oslo
$100 56.3% $36
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Oslo
$125 98% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,133 in Oslo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $130 in Oslo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $530 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇳🇴 Oslo
🕒 Local time
18:39 6:39 PM
19:39 7:39 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
1,098,061 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Oslo 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Oslo

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 Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Oslo?
Lisbon and Oslo differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $3,538 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 67% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Oslo?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $2,133 in Oslo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Oslo?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $240 in Oslo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Oslo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,538 in Oslo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Oslo. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Oslo?
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.
Is Lisbon or Oslo safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Oslo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Oslo?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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