Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Polva

For one person, living is cheaper in Polva: $1,216 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Polva
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Polva Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Polva

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Polva

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,216 in Polva.

Lisbon $2,210
Polva $1,216

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,934 in Polva.

Lisbon $3,275
Polva $1,934

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,652 in Polva.

Lisbon $4,341
Polva $2,652

Living in Lisbon is roughly 82% more expensive than in Polva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Polva is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$17.06 €15.32

-2.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$88.9 €79.9

-30.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.92 €10.71

-4.70%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.33 €3.89

-31.41%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.24 €2.01

2.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.29 €2.06

-24.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.80 €6.11

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.81 €6.12

-51.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.13 €1.02

2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.40 €1.26

36.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.95 €2.65

-48.81%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.19 €2.87

26.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$11.14 €10.00

16.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$9.07 €8.15

-14.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$27.39 €24.60

-35.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.34 €2.10

-1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.40 €1.26

23.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.58 €2.32

-27.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.90 €2.60

-10.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.81 €0.72

124.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.81 €0.72

143.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.04 €1.83

-27.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.02 €0.91

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.93 €6.23

-5.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$10.18 €9.15

-44.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.97 €1.77

-30.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.06 €1.85

3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$6.09 €5.47

-36.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.19 €1.07

-10.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$26.47 €23.78

-37.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.95 €1.75

12.82%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$28.3K €25.4K

20.96%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$31.5K €28.3K

23.04%

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

$161 €145

$340 €306

-52.60%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$17.33 €15.56

6.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$31.99 €28.74

2.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$13.45 €12.08

-28.62%

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

$668 €600

$721 €648

-7.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$9,967 €8,954

76.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$104 €93.7

-2.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$50.2 €45.06

-11.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$117 €105

-15.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$136 €123

-9.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.44

11.92%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Polva: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Polva

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Polva

$314 25.9% 15.5% $42

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Polva

$290 23.8% 19.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Polva

$389 32% 83.4% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Polva

$183 15.1% 10.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Polva

$27 * 2.2% 57.8% $37

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Polva

$12 * 1% 81% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $89 in Polva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $314 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇪 Polva

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

23:18 11:18 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

5,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Polva 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Polva

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 Polva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,216 in Polva, so Polva is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,824 in Polva to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,216 in Polva – Polva is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Polva is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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