Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $502 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Ragama, Sri Lanka
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Ragama
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$502
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ragama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $502 in Ragama.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Ragama $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $816 in Ragama.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Ragama $816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,129 in Ragama.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Ragama $1,129

Living in Lisbon is roughly 340% more expensive than in Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Ragama is 63% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Ragama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$3.89 LKR 1,294
328.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$25.24 LKR 8,390
144.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$7.42 LKR 2,467
53.10%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$2.45 LKR 815
21.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$0.73 LKR 243
213.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.27 LKR 90.2
544.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$2.26 LKR 750
50.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$3.01 LKR 1,000
9.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Ragama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.43 LKR 474
-18.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$0.50 LKR 165
282.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$0.68 LKR 227
122.06%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$1.66 LKR 551
142.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$14.02 LKR 4,660
-7.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$4.82 LKR 1,603
61.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$7.40 LKR 2,460
140.00%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$6.56 LKR 2,180
-64.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$0.81 LKR 270
113.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$4.32 LKR 1,435
-56.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$1.32 LKR 437
96.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$1.04 LKR 345
75.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$0.77 LKR 255
155.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.92 LKR 306
59.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.45 LKR 150
60.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$10.17 LKR 3,380
-35.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$12.95 LKR 4,304
-56.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.91 LKR 636
-28.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$3.00 LKR 997
-28.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Ragama
Difference
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
$0.38 LKR 126
913.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.35 LKR 115
205.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$0.87 LKR 288
1791.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.34 LKR 444
64.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$44.0K LKR 14.6M
-22.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$39.9K LKR 13.3M
-3.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Ragama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$58.0 LKR 19.3K
177.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$4.24 LKR 1,409
334.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$20.84 LKR 6,927
57.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Ragama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$4.42 LKR 1,471
117.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Ragama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$37.33 LKR 12.4K
1688.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$1,217 LKR 404.6K
1347.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Ragama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$18.43 LKR 6,126
453.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$16.62 LKR 5,526
167.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$79.4 LKR 26.4K
24.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$42.13 LKR 14.0K
193.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Ragama
Difference
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Ragama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
12.69
-69.66%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ragama: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Ragama
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Ragama
$234 14.2% $39
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Ragama
$104 57.1% $138
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Ragama
$83 60.9% $129
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Ragama
$70 57.5% $95
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Ragama
$8.9 * 86.1% $55
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Ragama
$2.1 * 96.7% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $25 in Ragama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $234 per month, with Ragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇱🇰 Ragama
🕒 Local time
21:19 9:19 PM
02:49 2:49 AM
5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
15,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Ragama 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Ragama?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $502 in Ragama, so Ragama is about 77% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Ragama?
You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $753 in Ragama 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.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Ragama?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $502 in Ragama – Ragama is about 77% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $502 in Ragama versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ragama but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ragama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Ragama?
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.

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