Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Parma

For one person, living is cheaper in Parma: $1,851 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Parma
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Parma Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Parma

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Parma

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,851 in Parma.

Lisbon $2,210
Parma $1,851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,930 in Parma.

Lisbon $3,275
Parma $2,930

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,009 in Parma.

Lisbon $4,341
Parma $4,009

Living in Lisbon is roughly 19% more expensive than in Parma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Parma 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$19.99 €17.84

-16.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$74.0 €66.0

-16.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$13.62 €12.15

-16.59%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.27 €2.03

30.84%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$3.54 €3.16

-35.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.61 €1.44

8.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$6.05 €5.40

-43.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$6.04 €5.39

-45.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.40 €1.25

-17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.85 €2.54

-32.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.65 €2.37

-43.02%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$4.23 €3.77

-4.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$18.18 €16.22

-28.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$12.75 €11.37

-39.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$17.41 €15.54

2.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.17 €1.94

5.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.70 €1.51

1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.94 €1.73

-4.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.55 €2.27

1.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.30 €1.16

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.32 €1.18

49.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.65 €1.47

-10.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.58 €0.52

24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$6.79 €6.05

-3.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$7.95 €7.10

-29.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.60 €1.42

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.92 €1.71

11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.92 €1.71

21.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

$42.77 €38.16

4.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$5.65 €5.04

-31.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.44 €1.28

-25.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$27.58 €24.61

-40.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.05 €1.82

7.32%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$34.8K €31.1K

-1.82%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$38.1K €34.0K

1.68%

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

$161 €144

$238 €212

-32.13%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$11.66 €10.40

57.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$27.41 €24.46

19.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$62.3 €55.6

-28.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

$26.87 €23.97

-28.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$12.23 €10.91

-21.50%

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

$668 €596

$425 €379

57.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$4,559 €4,067

286.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$90.0 €80.3

13.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$42.89 €38.26

3.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$96.5 €86.1

2.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$163 €145

-23.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$846 €755

90.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$627 €560

89.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$1,501 €1,339

87.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$1,266 €1,130

58.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$3,195 €2,851

145.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$2,411 €2,151

89.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$2,047 €1,826

-23.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.46

11.27%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Parma: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Parma

$627 33.9% 47.3% $563

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Parma

$330 17.8% 21.2% $58

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Parma

$291 15.7% 20% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Parma

$277 14.9% 30.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Parma

$176 9.5% 6.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Parma

$87 4.7% 36.1% $23

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Parma

$63 3.4% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $846 in Parma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Parma pays 30% 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 $74 in Parma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $330 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Parma

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

20:46 8:46 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

193,315

💱 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 Parma 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Parma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,851 in Parma, so Parma is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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 $846 in Parma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $425 in Parma. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Parma gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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