Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Pau

For one person, living is cheaper in Pau: $1,452 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
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Pau Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Pau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,452 in Pau.

Lisbon $2,210
Pau $1,452

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,274 in Pau.

Lisbon $3,275
Pau $2,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,097 in Pau.

Lisbon $4,341
Pau $3,097

Living in Lisbon is roughly 52% more expensive than in Pau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Pau 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.79 €15.04

-0.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$47.82 €42.85

29.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.37 €10.19

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.83 €3.43

-22.45%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.65 €2.37

-13.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.57 €1.41

10.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.75 €5.16

-40.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.85 €3.45

-14.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.14 €1.02

1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.26 €2.02

-15.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.56 €1.40

-3.21%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.57 €4.99

-27.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$20.77 €18.61

-37.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$11.81 €10.58

-34.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$24.35 €21.82

-27.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.75 €3.36

-38.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.17 €1.94

-20.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.06 €1.85

-9.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.22 €2.88

-19.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.72 €1.54

5.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.21 €1.98

-10.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.25 €1.12

17.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.68 €0.61

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$12.75 €11.43

-48.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.02 €8.98

-44.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$4.45 €3.99

-69.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$5.65 €5.06

-62.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.36 €1.21

71.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$34.00 €30.47

31.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.03 €1.82

8.37%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$34.0K €30.5K

0.49%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$36.5K €32.7K

6.20%

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

$161 €144

$86.0 €77.0

87.53%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$30.75 €27.56

-40.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$32.92 €29.50

-0.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$41.89 €37.53

6.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$12.09 €10.83

-20.60%

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

$668 €598

$394 €353

69.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,474 €4,009

293.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$111 €99.1

-7.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$34.19 €30.64

30.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$90.2 €80.8

9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$90.0 €80.6

37.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$740 €663

117.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$394 €353

202.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,076 €965

161.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$691 €619

191.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,478 €2,220

216.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,000 €1,793

128.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,074 €2,755

-48.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.81

1.05%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Pau: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Pau

$394 27.1% 66.9% $797

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Pau

$389 26.8% 42.9% $117

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Pau

$268 18.4% 10.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Pau

$150 10.3% 29.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Pau

$146 10.1% 11.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Pau

$66 4.6% 3.7% $2.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Pau

$39 * 2.7% 37.6% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $740 in Pau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pau pays 95% 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 $48 in Pau. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $389, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Pau

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

07:07 7:07 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

77,066

💱 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 Pau 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Pau

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 Pau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,452 in Pau, so Pau is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% 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 $740 in Pau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $394 in Pau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,452 in Pau versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pau but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Pau 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 Pau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.