Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Phnom Penh Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Phnom Penh

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,291 in Lisbon versus $939 in Phnom Penh.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,322 in Lisbon versus $1,462 in Phnom Penh.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,354 in Lisbon versus $1,985 in Phnom Penh.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 144% more expensive than in Phnom Penh, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 71% above, Phnom Penh is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 €14.18

$5.04 ៛20.3K

221.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 €55.5

$29.66 ៛119.6K

113.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 €9.04

$6.97 ៛28.1K

48.06%

Cappuccino

$2.83 €2.48

$2.61 ៛10.5K

8.43%

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

$2.29 €2.01

$1.03 ៛4,163

122.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.38

$0.98 ៛3,965

61.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €2.98

$1.48 ៛5,962

129.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 €3.53

$2.46 ៛9,919

63.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.96

$2.06 ៛8,304

-47.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.53

$1.47 ៛5,927

19.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.54

$0.96 ៛3,885

83.33%

Eggs

$3.17 €2.77

$1.78 ៛7,159

78.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 €11.56

$12.97 ៛52.3K

1.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €6.98

$4.20 ៛16.9K

89.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.53 €13.60

$10.26 ៛41.4K

51.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.07

$4.46 ៛18.0K

-46.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 €1.49

$1.60 ៛6,433

6.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 €1.76

$3.80 ៛15.3K

-47.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.13

$1.48 ៛5,953

64.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.54

$1.74 ៛7,002

1.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.78

$1.21 ៛4,876

67.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 €1.68

$1.44 ៛5,817

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.74

$0.71 ៛2,879

19.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.76

$2.03 ៛8,191

224.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 €4.89

$11.07 ៛44.6K

-49.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.17

$1.05 ៛4,250

26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.60

$1.63 ៛6,580

82.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €1.99

$1.54 ៛6,217

48.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.79 €40.10

$10.57 ៛42.6K

333.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.23 €3.70

$1.02 ៛4,107

314.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.71

$0.97 ៛3,914

-16.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.44 €16.15

$4.62 ៛18.6K

299.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.82

$1.12 ៛4,516

85.71%

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

$34.7K €30.4K

$49.3K ៛198.8M

-29.71%

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

$39.2K €34.3K

$36.4K ៛146.6M

7.65%

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

$148 €130

$104 ៛418.4K

42.63%

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

$20.46 €17.92

$6.21 ៛25.0K

229.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.56 €34.64

$23.75 ៛95.8K

66.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.99 €42.03

$46.45 ៛187.2K

3.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.60 €16.29

$14.53 ៛58.6K

28.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 €8.08

$4.53 ៛18.3K

103.53%

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

$616 €540

$379 ៛1.5M

62.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.4K

$11.6K ៛46.8M

41.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €90.0

$22.08 ៛89.0K

365.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.74 €36.55

$22.04 ៛88.8K

89.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 €83.0

$90.9 ៛366.5K

4.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €107

$74.4 ៛299.8K

64.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 €1,430

$505 ៛2.0M

223.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 €1,079

$276 ៛1.1M

346.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 €2,713

$1,038 ៛4.2M

198.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,031 €1,779

$551 ៛2.2M

268.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,831 €6,858

$2,910 ៛11.7M

169.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,389 €3,844

$1,520 ៛6.1M

188.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,607 €1,408

$326 ៛1.3M

392.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

10.3

-63.01%

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

Last update for Lisbon: July 14, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,633 in Lisbon and $505 in Phnom Penh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 393% 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: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $30.00 in Phnom Penh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $244 per month, with Phnom Penh cheaper across the board.

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Phnom Penh differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($2,291 vs $939 including rent). Phnom Penh is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 393% 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: $1,633 in Lisbon versus $505 in Phnom Penh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $616 in Lisbon versus $379 in Phnom Penh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $939 in Phnom Penh versus $2,291 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phnom Penh but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Phnom Penh 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 Phnom Penh 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 Phnom Penh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.