Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Pula

For one person, living is cheaper in Pula: $1,580 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Pula
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Pula Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Pula

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,580

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Pula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,580 in Pula.

Lisbon $2,202
Pula $1,580

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,515 in Pula.

Lisbon $3,274
Pula $2,515

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,450 in Pula.

Lisbon $4,346
Pula $3,450

Living in Lisbon is roughly 39% more expensive than in Pula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Pula 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$14.68 €13.06

16.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$68.1 €60.6

-8.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$8.92 €7.94

23.54%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.55 €2.27

22.35%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.93 €2.60

-22.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.09 €1.86

-16.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.42 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.41 €3.92

-15.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.23 €1.10

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.86 €1.65

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.18 €2.83

-51.57%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.78 €3.37

7.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$10.95 €9.74

17.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$10.79 €9.59

-26.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$18.80 €16.72

-6.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.98 €1.76

14.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.87 €1.67

-6.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.14 €1.90

-11.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.59 €2.30

-1.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.36 €1.21

36.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.33 €1.19

48.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.30 €1.15

11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.22 €1.08

-36.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.59 €4.97

20.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.80 €6.94

-27.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.85 €1.64

-25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.40 €2.14

-12.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.28 €2.03

1.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$33.26 €29.58

33.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.28 €2.91

20.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.22 €1.98

-52.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$22.18 €19.73

-22.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.83 €1.62

19.67%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$26.0K €23.1K

29.98%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$26.6K €23.7K

43.80%

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

$164 €146

$156 €139

4.85%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$22.01 €19.58

-16.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$39.37 €35.02

-16.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$49.70 €44.21

-7.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$37.64 €33.48

-50.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$10.59 €9.42

-7.93%

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

$684 €608

$240 €214

184.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$2,826 €2,514

523.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$114 €101

-8.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$36.80 €32.74

25.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$144 €128

-30.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$131 €116

-4.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$685 €609

132.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$522 €464

124.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,315 €1,170

116.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$999 €889

99.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,363 €3,881

78.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,650 €3,246

21.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,517 €1,349

5.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.54

8.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Pula: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Pula

$522 33% 55.4% $648

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Pula

$301 19% 10.1% $28

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Pula

$221 14% 10.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Pula

$218 13.8% 1.1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Pula

$192 12.1% 13.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Pula

$71 4.5% 8.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Pula

$57 3.6% 9.8% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $685 in Pula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 5% 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 $68.0 in Pula for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $301 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇭🇷 Pula

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

22:03 10:03 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

52,220

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Pula 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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.

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Lisbon vs Pula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Pula differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,580 including rent). Pula is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% 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 $685 in Pula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $240 in Pula. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,580 in Pula versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pula but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Pula 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 Pula 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 Pula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.