Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Palermo

For one person, living is cheaper in Palermo: $1,545 a month against $2,239 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Palermo
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Palermo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,239

/mo nomad

Palermo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Palermo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,239 in Lisbon versus $1,545 in Palermo.

Lisbon $2,239
Palermo $1,545

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,314 in Lisbon versus $2,330 in Palermo.

Lisbon $3,314
Palermo $2,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,389 in Lisbon versus $3,116 in Palermo.

Lisbon $4,389
Palermo $3,116

Living in Lisbon is roughly 45% more expensive than in Palermo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 67% above, Palermo 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 €15.41

$14.88 €13.46

14.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 €56.0

$56.4 €51.0

9.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 €10.03

$11.38 €10.29

-2.55%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.89

$2.22 €2.01

44.14%

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

$2.33 €2.11

$2.40 €2.17

-2.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.59

$1.25 €1.13

40.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €3.01

$5.73 €5.18

-42.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 €3.61

$4.57 €4.13

-12.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.31 €1.19

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 €1.66

$1.84 €1.67

-0.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.39

$2.84 €2.57

-45.77%

Eggs

$4.05 €3.67

$2.97 €2.69

36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 €11.90

$14.76 €13.35

-10.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.40 €7.60

$12.07 €10.92

-30.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.95

$16.72 €15.13

5.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €2.06

$2.90 €2.62

-21.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.60

$2.12 €1.92

-16.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 €1.63

$2.95 €2.67

-38.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.40

$3.00 €2.72

-11.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.64 €1.48

5.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.74

$1.53 €1.39

25.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.33

$1.79 €1.62

-18.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.68

$0.43 €0.39

74.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €6.01

$6.81 €6.16

-2.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 €5.09

$7.69 €6.95

-26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.19

$2.16 €1.95

-39.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.88

$3.05 €2.76

-32.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.15

$1.53 €1.38

55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.19 €40.88

$36.17 €32.73

24.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 €3.65

$3.28 €2.97

23.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.10 €1.00

-37.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.45 €17.60

$37.52 €33.95

-48.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.08

$2.15 €1.95

6.98%

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

$33.6K €30.4K

$35.3K €31.9K

-4.90%

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

$38.4K €34.7K

$37.8K €34.2K

1.59%

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

$154 €139

$224 €203

-31.47%

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

$17.15 €15.51

$10.30 €9.31

66.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.59 €28.58

$27.12 €24.54

16.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 €42.39

$62.0 €56.1

-24.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.47 €19.43

$33.08 €29.93

-35.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.78 €8.85

$9.45 €8.55

3.49%

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

$668 €605

$445 €402

50.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €17.0K

$6,279 €5,680

199.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €94.2

$71.7 €64.9

45.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.78 €41.42

$31.12 €28.15

47.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €91.3

$85.7 €77.6

17.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €109

$127 €115

-5.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 €1,461

$693 €627

133.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 €1,102

$461 €417

164.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,843 €2,572

$1,116 €1,010

154.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,046 €1,851

$742 €671

175.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,895 €7,143

$2,520 €2,279

213.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,808 €4,349

$1,381 €1,250

248.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,773 €1,604

$1,661 €1,503

6.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.39

12.68%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 8, 2026

Last update for Palermo: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54.4%

Palermo

$461 29.8% 62.2% $758

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$274 12.3%

Palermo

$316 20.5% 15.3% $42

Eating Out

Lisbon

$249 11.1%

Palermo

$232 15% 6.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$202 9%

Palermo

$261 16.9% 29.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$167 7.5%

Palermo

$142 9.2% 14.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Palermo

$81 5.2% 21.7% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$62 2.8%

Palermo

$51 3.3% 17.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,615 in Lisbon and $693 in Palermo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 7% 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 $56 in Palermo. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $316, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Palermo

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

10:56 10:56 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

628,165

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Palermo 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Palermo

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 Palermo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,239 in Lisbon and $1,545 in Palermo, so Palermo is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% 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: $1,615 in Lisbon versus $693 in Palermo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $445 in Palermo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Palermo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Palermo wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.