Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Plunge

For one person, living is cheaper in Plunge: $1,428 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Plunge
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Plunge Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Plunge

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Plunge

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,428 in Plunge.

Lisbon $2,210
Plunge $1,428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,236 in Plunge.

Lisbon $3,275
Plunge $2,236

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,043 in Plunge.

Lisbon $4,341
Plunge $3,043

Living in Lisbon is roughly 55% more expensive than in Plunge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Plunge 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$14.34 €12.85

16.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$76.5 €68.5

-19.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$8.73 €7.82

30.13%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.82 €3.42

-22.25%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.32 €2.07

-1.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.21 €1.98

-21.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.60 €5.02

-39.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.35 €3.90

-23.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.53 €1.37

-24.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.68 €1.50

13.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.39 €2.14

-36.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.29 €2.94

22.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.52 €9.42

23.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$8.32 €7.45

-6.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$11.69 €10.47

51.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.87 €1.68

22.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.44 €1.29

20.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.67 €1.50

11.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.50 €3.13

-26.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.95 €0.86

91.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.77 €0.69

155.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.57 €1.41

-6.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.80 €0.72

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.29 €5.63

4.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.02 €8.08

-37.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.82 €1.63

-25.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.90 €1.70

12.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.14 €1.02

104.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$27.78 €24.88

60.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.00 €2.68

28.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.26 €1.13

-15.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$14.15 €12.68

16.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.96 €1.76

12.24%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.8K €24.9K

23.00%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$28.6K €25.6K

35.42%

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

$161 €144

$232 €208

-30.51%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$13.84 €12.40

33.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$20.67 €18.51

58.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$39.29 €35.19

13.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$21.18 €18.97

-9.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.91 €8.87

-3.13%

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

$668 €598

$657 €589

1.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$11.3K €10.1K

55.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$95.1 €85.2

7.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$40.80 €36.54

8.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$91.5 €82.0

7.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$131 €117

-5.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$576 €516

179.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$402 €360

196.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$735 €659

282.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$724 €648

178.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$3,044 €2,726

157.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,894 €1,696

141.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,294 €1,159

21.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.99

-3.51%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Plunge: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Plunge

$402 28.1% 66.2% $788

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Plunge

$256 18% 5.9% $16

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Plunge

$242 16.9% 0.4% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Plunge

$267 18.7% 25.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Plunge

$161 11.3% 2.8% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Plunge

$59 4.1% 7.3% $4.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Plunge

$42 2.9% 34.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $576 in Plunge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 22% 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 in Lisbon vs $76 in Plunge. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $256, with Plunge cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇹 Plunge

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

20,041

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Plunge 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Plunge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,428 in Plunge, so Plunge is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $576 in Plunge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $657 in Plunge. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Plunge are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Plunge wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.