Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Pistoia

For one person, living is cheaper in Pistoia: $1,647 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Pistoia
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Pistoia Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Pistoia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Pistoia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,647 in Pistoia.

Lisbon $2,223
Pistoia $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,632 in Pistoia.

Lisbon $3,271
Pistoia $2,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,617 in Pistoia.

Lisbon $4,319
Pistoia $3,617

Living in Lisbon is roughly 35% more expensive than in Pistoia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Pistoia 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$22.64 €20.14

-27.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$90.6 €80.6

-32.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$13.53 €12.04

-16.70%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.66 €1.48

84.34%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.92 €2.60

-22.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.41 €1.25

22.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.53 €4.92

-38.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.58 €4.08

-25.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.51 €1.35

-25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.03 €1.81

-8.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.36 €1.21

12.50%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.46 €3.08

14.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$19.84 €17.65

-35.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$13.51 €12.02

-41.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$20.82 €18.52

-18.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.59 €2.30

-12.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.29 €2.04

-23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.15 €2.80

-41.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.04 €2.70

-15.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.81 €1.61

2.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.13 €1.01

78.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.36 €1.21

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.67 €0.60

22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.54 €5.82

0.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$8.79 €7.82

-36.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.55 €1.38

-17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.51 €2.23

-17.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.92 €1.70

22.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$54.8 €48.74

-19.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$6.57 €5.84

-39.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.41 €1.26

-22.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$32.49 €28.90

-48.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.96 €1.74

16.33%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$31.5K €28.0K

6.92%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$35.3K €31.4K

11.29%

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

$167 €149

$187 €167

-10.56%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$10.24 €9.11

83.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$30.65 €27.26

7.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$75.6 €67.2

-39.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$28.84 €25.65

-33.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$9.89 €8.80

-0.51%

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

$677 €602

$439 €390

54.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$2,710 €2,410

524.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$82.8 €73.7

22.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$33.35 €29.66

37.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$98.6 €87.7

1.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$108 €95.9

13.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$743 €661

117.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$456 €405

162.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,116 €992

156.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$794 €706

150.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,885 €2,566

162.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,172 €1,932

98.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,900 €1,690

-16.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.29

17.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pistoia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Pistoia

$456 27.7% 61.9% $741

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Pistoia

$350 21.3% 30% $81

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Pistoia

$296 18% 22.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Pistoia

$228 13.9% 4% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Pistoia

$145 8.8% 12.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Pistoia

$95 5.8% 45.2% $30

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Pistoia

$76 4.6% 20.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $743 in Pistoia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pistoia pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $91.0 in Pistoia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $350 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Pistoia

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

12:05 12:05 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

90,315

💱 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 Pistoia 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Pistoia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Pistoia differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,647 including rent). Pistoia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Pistoia. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $743 in Pistoia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $439 in Pistoia. 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 $1,647 in Pistoia versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Pistoia but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Pistoia 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 Pistoia 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 Pistoia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.