Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Puttalam

For one person, living is cheaper in Puttalam: $62.9 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Puttalam

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$62.9

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Puttalam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $63 in Puttalam.

Lisbon $2,210
Puttalam $63

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $109 in Puttalam.

Lisbon $3,275
Puttalam $109

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $156 in Puttalam.

Lisbon $4,341
Puttalam $156

Living in Lisbon is roughly 3415% more expensive than in Puttalam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Puttalam is 95% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

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

$2.29 €2.05

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.51 LKR 171

274.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.75 LKR 249

101.33%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.23 LKR 410

226.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$3.64 LKR 1,209

113.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$7.47 LKR 2,485

137.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.79 LKR 262

118.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.37 LKR 124

94.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$7.41 LKR 2,466

-11.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

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

$34.2K €30.6K

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

$38.7K €34.7K

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

$161 €144

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

$18.41 €16.50

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

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

$668 €598

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Puttalam: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Puttalam

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Puttalam

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Puttalam

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Puttalam

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Puttalam

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Puttalam

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Puttalam

–

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇰 Puttalam

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

45,400

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Puttalam 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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Puttalam

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 Puttalam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $63 in Puttalam, so Puttalam is about 97% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $94 in Puttalam 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 333% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $63 in Puttalam – Puttalam is about 97% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $63 in Puttalam versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Puttalam but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Puttalam 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 Puttalam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.