Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Paphos

For one person, living is cheaper in Paphos: $2,074 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Paphos
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Paphos Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Paphos

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Paphos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,074 in Paphos.

Lisbon $2,202
Paphos $2,074

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,178 in Paphos.

Lisbon $3,274
Paphos $3,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,283 in Paphos.

Lisbon $4,346
Paphos $4,283

Living in Lisbon is roughly 6% more expensive than in Paphos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Paphos 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$16.58 €14.75

2.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$55.0 €48.88

13.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$8.92 €7.93

23.54%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.70 €3.29

-15.68%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.83 €1.63

24.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.14 €1.02

52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.56 €4.06

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.94 €3.51

-5.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.00 €1.78

-41.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.48 €1.32

25.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.41 €2.15

-36.10%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.91 €4.37

-17.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$13.31 €11.84

-3.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.77 €7.80

-9.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.56 €11.17

40.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.27 €2.91

-30.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.87 €1.66

-6.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.05 €1.82

-7.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.76 €3.35

-31.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.47 €1.30

25.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.20 €1.07

64.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.63 €0.56

130.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.01 €0.90

-23.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.66 €5.04

18.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.84 €6.08

-17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.69 €1.50

-18.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.08 €1.85

1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.28 €2.03

1.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$57.0 €50.7

-22.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$11.39 €10.13

-65.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.10 €1.87

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$22.26 €19.80

-22.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.75 €1.56

25.14%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$31.1K €27.6K

8.74%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

13.61%

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

$164 €146

$186 €166

-12.15%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$24.06 €21.40

-23.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$34.31 €30.52

-3.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$68.8 €61.2

-33.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$24.81 €22.07

-24.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$11.13 €9.90

-12.40%

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

$684 €608

$427 €380

60.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$6,766 €6,019

160.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$81.5 €72.5

27.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$45.50 €40.47

1.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$94.6 €84.1

5.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$89.0 €79.1

40.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,083 €963

46.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$976 €868

19.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,096 €1,864

36.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,860 €1,654

7.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,322 €3,844

80.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,513 €2,235

75.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,860 €1,655

-13.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.31

16.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Paphos: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Paphos

$976 47.1% 16.5% $193

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Paphos

$288 13.9% 5.4% $15

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Paphos

$246 11.9% 0.5% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Paphos

$245 11.8% 13.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Paphos

$140 6.7% 17.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Paphos

$91 4.4% 39.2% $26

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Paphos

$88 4.3% 39.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,083 in Paphos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paphos pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $55.0 in Paphos. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $288, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇾 Paphos

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

32,892

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Paphos 3,700 km ≈ 5 h 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 Paphos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Paphos differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,074 including rent). Paphos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Paphos. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,083 in Paphos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $427 in Paphos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,074 in Paphos versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Paphos but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Paphos 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 Paphos 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 Paphos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.