Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ramnicu Valcea

For one person, living is cheaper in Ramnicu Valcea: $946 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Ramnicu Valcea
🇷🇴 Romania
$946
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ramnicu Valcea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $946 in Ramnicu Valcea.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Ramnicu Valcea $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,460 in Ramnicu Valcea.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Ramnicu Valcea $1,460

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,975 in Ramnicu Valcea.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Ramnicu Valcea $1,975

Living in Lisbon is roughly 134% more expensive than in Ramnicu Valcea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Ramnicu Valcea is 31% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Ramnicu Valcea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.92
$7.29 RON 34.87
128.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$33.29 RON 159
85.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.18
$6.40 RON 30.63
77.50%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$2.21 RON 10.57
34.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$2.00 RON 9.58
14.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.51 RON 7.23
15.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$2.47 RON 11.80
37.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.47 RON 11.84
34.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Ramnicu Valcea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.49 RON 7.12
-22.15%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.01 RON 4.81
89.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.28 RON 6.14
17.97%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$2.98 RON 14.26
34.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$8.55 RON 40.89
51.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.97
$6.19 RON 29.62
25.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.92
$9.21 RON 44.05
92.83%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.10 RON 5.24
109.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.44 RON 6.88
20.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.23 RON 5.88
51.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$2.06 RON 9.88
25.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.76 RON 3.64
139.47%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.75 RON 3.57
162.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.85 RON 4.08
72.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.76 RON 3.64
-5.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$5.26 RON 25.18
25.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$7.37 RON 35.27
-23.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.18 RON 5.64
15.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.64 RON 7.85
30.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Ramnicu Valcea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$0.70 RON 3.34
232.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.04
$21.28 RON 102
109.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$0.66 RON 3.15
483.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.61 RON 2.94
75.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.75
$6.37 RON 30.47
158.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.66 RON 7.92
32.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$29.0K RON 138.6K
18.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$24.2K RON 115.7K
60.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Ramnicu Valcea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$149 RON 715
7.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.50
$7.15 RON 34.22
157.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.34
$7.11 RON 34.02
360.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Ramnicu Valcea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.92
$36.39 RON 174
22.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.11
$17.15 RON 82.0
11.37%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$8.52 RON 40.77
12.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Ramnicu Valcea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$423 RON 2,023
57.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$5,682 RON 27.2K
210.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Ramnicu Valcea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$51.4 RON 246
98.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.85
$34.68 RON 166
28.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.3
$61.4 RON 294
60.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$68.9 RON 330
79.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Ramnicu Valcea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,441
$401 RON 1,919
300.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$272 RON 1,302
337.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,520
$675 RON 3,230
316.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,804
$518 RON 2,478
288.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,025
$2,029 RON 9,710
286.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,100
$1,479 RON 7,075
209.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Ramnicu Valcea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$836 RON 4,000
88.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
7.03
-45.23%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ramnicu Valcea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Ramnicu Valcea
$272 77.1% $918
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Ramnicu Valcea
$196 28.1% $77
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Ramnicu Valcea
$135 44.2% $107
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Ramnicu Valcea
$164 22.9% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Ramnicu Valcea
$97 41.3% $69
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Ramnicu Valcea
$53 16.2% $10
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Ramnicu Valcea
$28 56% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $401 in Ramnicu Valcea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 88% 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 in Lisbon vs $33 in Ramnicu Valcea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $196 per month, with Ramnicu Valcea cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇷🇴 Ramnicu Valcea
🕒 Local time
03:59 3:59 AM
05:59 5:59 AM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
98,776
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Ramnicu Valcea 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Ramnicu Valcea

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 Ramnicu Valcea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Ramnicu Valcea?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $946 in Ramnicu Valcea, so Ramnicu Valcea is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Ramnicu Valcea?
Average pay runs 88% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Ramnicu Valcea?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $401 in Ramnicu Valcea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Ramnicu Valcea?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $423 in Ramnicu Valcea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is feasible on a $800 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ramnicu Valcea is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Ramnicu Valcea?
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 Ramnicu Valcea safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Ramnicu Valcea are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Ramnicu Valcea?
Expats usually find Ramnicu Valcea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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