Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Pernik

For one person, living is cheaper in Pernik: $844 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Pernik
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Pernik Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Pernik

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Pernik

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $844 in Pernik.

Lisbon $2,202
Pernik $844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,065 in Pernik.

Lisbon $3,274
Pernik $1,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,286 in Pernik.

Lisbon $4,346
Pernik $1,286

Living in Lisbon is roughly 161% more expensive than in Pernik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Pernik is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$10.15 BGN 17.65

67.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$25.59 BGN 44.53

143.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$8.74 BGN 15.20

26.09%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.55 BGN 2.69

101.29%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.99 BGN 1.72

129.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.52 BGN 0.91

234.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.20 BGN 3.82

55.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.95 BGN 3.40

91.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.43 BGN 2.48

-18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.65 BGN 1.13

186.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.44 BGN 2.50

6.94%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.37 BGN 4.12

71.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.40 BGN 14.61

53.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$6.64 BGN 11.55

18.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$8.29 BGN 14.43

112.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.15 BGN 2.00

96.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.64 BGN 2.85

6.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.44 BGN 2.51

31.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.98 BGN 3.44

29.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.83 BGN 1.44

122.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.72 BGN 1.25

173.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.58 BGN 1.01

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.63 BGN 1.10

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.37 BGN 5.86

99.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.21 BGN 9.06

8.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.74 BGN 1.28

85.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.69 BGN 2.95

24.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.83 BGN 1.44

179.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$11.50 BGN 20.00

286.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.34 BGN 2.34

194.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.61 BGN 1.07

72.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$11.27 BGN 19.61

52.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.57 BGN 2.73

39.49%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$30.7K BGN 53.3K

10.22%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$23.7K BGN 41.3K

61.38%

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

$164 €146

$92.4 BGN 161

77.28%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$14.91 BGN 25.95

23.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$12.35 BGN 21.48

166.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$34.02 BGN 59.2

34.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.62 BGN 9.78

73.49%

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

$684 €608

$232 BGN 404

194.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$2,315 BGN 4,027

661.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$30.71 BGN 53.4

237.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$19.41 BGN 33.78

138.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$64.9 BGN 113

53.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$51.4 BGN 89.4

142.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$293 BGN 509

443.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$256 BGN 445

356.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,152 BGN 2,004

576.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,049 BGN 1,825

321.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,564 BGN 2,721

2.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.99

28.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Pernik: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Pernik

$256 30.3% 78.1% $913

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Pernik

$182 21.6% 33.4% $91

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Pernik

$147 17.4% 40.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Pernik

$120 14.2% 44.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Pernik

$75 8.9% 55.6% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Pernik

$45 5.4% 30.7% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Pernik

$19 2.3% 69.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $293 in Pernik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 2% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $26.00 in Pernik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $182 per month, with Pernik cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Pernik

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

78,342

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Pernik 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Pernik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Pernik differ by about 161% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $844 including rent). Pernik is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $293 in Pernik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $232 in Pernik. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $844 in Pernik versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pernik but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Pernik 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 Pernik 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 Pernik gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.