Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Paros

For one person, living is cheaper in Paros: $1,704 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Paros
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,704
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Paros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,704 in Paros.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Paros $1,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,613 in Paros.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Paros $2,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,521 in Paros.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Paros $3,521

Living in Lisbon is roughly 30% more expensive than in Paros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Paros 26% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Paros
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.65
$12.98 €11.52
27.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.4
$56.8 €50.5
7.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.01
$10.21 €9.07
10.38%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$3.87 €3.44
-20.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$1.89 €1.68
19.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$0.58 €0.51
198.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.01
$5.54 €4.92
-38.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.02
$5.43 €4.82
-37.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Paros
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €0.99
$1.70 €1.51
-34.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.44 €1.28
29.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$2.62 €2.33
-41.60%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.52
$4.56 €4.05
-13.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.33
$15.33 €13.62
-16.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.01
$10.58 €9.39
-25.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.07
$13.95 €12.39
21.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.01
$2.23 €1.98
1.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$2.14 €1.90
-18.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$1.33 €1.18
39.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.28
$1.74 €1.54
47.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.22 €1.09
52.46%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.18 €1.05
71.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$0.94 €0.84
53.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$0.71 €0.63
15.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.82
$4.98 €4.43
31.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €4.99
$7.68 €6.82
-26.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.13
$2.24 €1.99
-42.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$1.70 €1.51
21.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Paros
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.08
$2.27 €2.02
3.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.24
$44.98 €39.94
-1.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.54
$4.34 €3.85
-8.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.10 €0.97
-0.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.78
$11.33 €10.06
46.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$2.16 €1.91
5.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €29.9K
$21.1K €18.7K
59.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €34.9K
$23.8K €21.2K
64.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Paros
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$157 €140
6.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.69
$29.95 €26.60
-37.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.39
$36.94 €32.81
-10.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Paros
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €40.86
$51.5 €45.73
-10.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.04
$25.22 €22.40
-23.91%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.74
$8.76 €7.78
12.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Paros
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €601
$417 €371
62.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.0K
$3,998 €3,550
323.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Paros
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €89.9
$89.9 €79.8
12.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.64
$30.43 €27.02
50.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.8
$75.7 €67.3
32.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$113 €101
8.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Paros
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,433
$733 €651
120.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,063
$691 €614
73.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,541
$1,368 €1,215
109.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,767
$1,247 €1,107
59.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,729
$2,616 €2,323
189.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,825
$2,202 €1,956
95.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Paros
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,410
$1,063 €944
49.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.44
-13.29%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Paros: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Paros
$691 42.3% $506
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Paros
$287 6.6% $18
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Paros
$229 5.3% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Paros
$224 2.2% $4.9
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Paros
$139 16.3% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Paros
$69 5% $3.3
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Paros
$64 1.4% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $733 in Paros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 49% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $57.0 in Paros. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $287, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇬🇷 Paros
🕒 Local time
14:37 2:37 PM
16:37 4:37 PM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
5,289
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Paros 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Paros

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 Paros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Paros?
Lisbon and Paros differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,704 including rent). Paros is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Paros?
Average pay runs 49% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Paros?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $733 in Paros. 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 Paros?
Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $417 in Paros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,704 in Paros versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Paros but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Paros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Paros?
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 Paros safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Paros 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 Paros?
Expats usually find Paros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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