Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Oulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Oulu: $1,878 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Oulu
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Oulu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Oulu

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,878

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Oulu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,878 in Oulu.

Lisbon $2,210
Oulu $1,878

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,905 in Oulu.

Lisbon $3,275
Oulu $2,905

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,932 in Oulu.

Lisbon $4,341
Oulu $3,932

Living in Lisbon is roughly 18% more expensive than in Oulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Oulu 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$17.48 €15.66

-4.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$90.5 €81.1

-31.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$15.02 €13.46

-24.37%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.83 €4.33

-38.51%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.95 €2.65

-22.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.28 €2.05

-23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$7.68 €6.88

-55.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.96 €7.13

-58.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.19 €1.07

-2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.28 €2.05

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.78 €2.49

-45.68%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.16 €2.84

27.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.40 €6.63

74.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$13.67 €12.25

-43.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$22.93 €20.55

-22.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.31 €2.07

-0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.97 €1.76

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.10 €1.88

-11.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.20 €3.77

-38.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.97 €0.87

87.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.64 €1.47

20.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.69 €2.41

-45.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.61 €1.44

-55.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$13.25 €11.87

-50.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$12.35 €11.07

-54.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.62 €3.24

-62.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.09 €2.77

-30.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.99 €2.68

-22.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$63.4 €56.8

-29.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$9.58 €8.58

-59.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.58 €1.41

-32.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$55.5 €49.69

-70.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.24 €2.01

-1.79%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$35.9K €32.2K

-4.81%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$37.0K €33.1K

4.73%

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

$161 €144

$116 €104

39.19%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$25.74 €23.06

-28.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$21.15 €18.95

54.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$37.45 €33.55

18.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$19.34 €17.33

-1.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$17.03 €15.26

-43.63%

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

$668 €598

$519 €465

28.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$91.4 €81.9

11.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$44.05 €39.47

0.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$109 €98.0

-9.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$209 €188

-40.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$848 €760

89.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$673 €603

76.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,384 €1,240

103.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,040 €932

93.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,725 €3,338

110.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,990 €1,783

129.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,504 €2,244

-37.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.1

-6.10%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Oulu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Oulu

$673 35.8% 43.5% $518

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Oulu

$356 19% 30.7% $84

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Oulu

$318 16.9% 31.1% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Oulu

$163 8.7% 23.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Oulu

$204 10.9% 23.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Oulu

$72 3.8% 12.2% $7.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Oulu

$93 4.9% 46.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $848 in Oulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oulu pays 59% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $90 in Oulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $356 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇮 Oulu

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

214,651

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Oulu 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Oulu

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 Oulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,878 in Oulu, so Oulu is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $848 in Oulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $519 in Oulu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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