Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rakvere

For one person, living is cheaper in Rakvere: $1,008 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Rakvere, Estonia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Rakvere
🇪🇪 Estonia
$1,008
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rakvere

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,008 in Rakvere.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Rakvere $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,540 in Rakvere.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Rakvere $1,540

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,072 in Rakvere.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Rakvere $2,072

Living in Lisbon is roughly 119% more expensive than in Rakvere, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Rakvere is 26% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Rakvere
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$11.33 €10.15
46.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$65.0 €58.2
-4.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$11.29 €10.11
0.62%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$3.83 €3.43
-22.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$2.38 €2.13
-3.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.64 €1.47
6.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$5.73 €5.14
-40.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$4.39 €3.94
-24.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Rakvere
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.65 €0.58
78.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.92 €1.72
-0.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$2.33 €2.08
-35.19%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$1.93 €1.73
108.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$12.76 €11.42
1.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$6.83 €6.11
13.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$4.48 €4.01
296.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.15 €1.92
6.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.40 €1.26
23.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.13 €1.91
-12.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$2.45 €2.20
5.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.75 €0.67
142.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.53 €0.48
271.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.86 €1.67
-20.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$1.19 €1.06
-39.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$6.84 €6.13
-3.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$10.41 €9.32
-46.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$2.02 €1.81
-32.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.46 €2.20
-13.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Rakvere
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$3.55 €3.18
8.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.99 €0.89
8.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$27.13 €24.30
-39.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$2.00 €1.79
10.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$27.8K €24.9K
23.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$29.7K €26.6K
30.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Rakvere
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$312 €279
-48.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$17.64 €15.80
4.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$35.18 €31.51
-6.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Rakvere
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$5.08 €4.55
88.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Rakvere
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$476 €427
40.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$11.6K €10.4K
52.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Rakvere
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$109 €97.5
-6.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$48.00 €42.99
-7.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$106 €94.6
-6.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$118 €106
4.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Rakvere
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Rakvere
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
3.93
-2.04%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rakvere: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Rakvere
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Rakvere
$229 15.8% $43
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Rakvere
$224 7.7% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Rakvere
$364 71.6% $152
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Rakvere
$171 3.3% $5.5
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Rakvere
$10 * 84.1% $54
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Rakvere
$8.5 * 86.6% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $65 in Rakvere. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $229, with Rakvere cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇪🇪 Rakvere
🕒 Local time
00:50 12:50 AM
02:50 2:50 AM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
16,953
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Rakvere 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Rakvere

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 Rakvere: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Rakvere?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,008 in Rakvere, so Rakvere is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Rakvere?
You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,512 in Rakvere 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 19% 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 Rakvere?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,008 in Rakvere – Rakvere is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,008 in Rakvere versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rakvere but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rakvere the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Rakvere?
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.
Is Lisbon or Rakvere safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Rakvere are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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