Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ras al-Khaimah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ras al-Khaimah: $1,840 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ras al-Khaimah

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 Ras al-Khaimah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah.

Lisbon $2,223
Ras al-Khaimah $1,840

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,803 in Ras al-Khaimah.

Lisbon $3,271
Ras al-Khaimah $2,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,767 in Ras al-Khaimah.

Lisbon $4,319
Ras al-Khaimah $3,767

Living in Lisbon is roughly 21% more expensive than in Ras al-Khaimah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Ras al-Khaimah 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.76 AED 50.5

19.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$40.26 AED 148

52.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.53 AED 27.64

49.67%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.51 AED 20.22

-44.46%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.11 AED 4.08

103.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.48 AED 1.76

260.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$10.16 AED 37.32

-66.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$9.70 AED 35.63

-64.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.63 AED 6.00

-31.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.08 AED 7.65

-10.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.96 AED 7.20

-21.94%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.35 AED 8.62

68.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$12.68 AED 46.57

0.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.95 AED 36.56

-20.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$15.46 AED 56.8

9.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.01 AED 7.39

12.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.67 AED 6.14

4.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.55 AED 5.69

19.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.36 AED 4.98

88.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.96 AED 3.54

93.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.87 AED 3.20

132.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.74 AED 6.39

-17.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.44 AED 1.61

86.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.97 AED 25.61

-5.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$13.58 AED 49.89

-58.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.63 AED 9.66

-51.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.88 AED 10.56

-28.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.12 AED 7.80

10.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$114 AED 419

-61.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.69 AED 6.21

136.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.80 AED 2.93

36.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$8.16 AED 29.96

103.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.93 AED 3.41

145.16%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$45.8K AED 168.2K

-26.48%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$22.3K AED 82.0K

75.94%

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

$167 €149

$121 AED 444

38.48%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$44.73 AED 164

-57.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$79.4 AED 291

-58.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$57.9 AED 213

-20.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$40.22 AED 148

-52.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$12.72 AED 46.70

-22.64%

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

$677 €602

$299 AED 1,099

126.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$4,462 AED 16.4K

279.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$80.6 AED 296

25.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$53.1 AED 195

-13.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$119 AED 438

-16.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$117 AED 430

4.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$767 AED 2,819

110.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$657 AED 2,413

82.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,660 AED 6,095

72.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,243 AED 4,563

60.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$5,007 AED 18.4K

51.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,962 AED 7,207

119.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,577 AED 5,791

0.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.92

-21.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Ras al-Khaimah

$657 35.7% 45.1% $540

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Ras al-Khaimah

$285 15.5% 5.6% $15

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Ras al-Khaimah

$275 15% 13.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Ras al-Khaimah

$245 13.3% 11.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ras al-Khaimah

$167 9.1% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Ras al-Khaimah

$83 4.5% 26.8% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Ras al-Khaimah

$128 7% 104% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $767 in Ras al-Khaimah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 1% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $285, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

241,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Ras al-Khaimah 6,160 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Ras al-Khaimah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Ras al-Khaimah differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,840 including rent). Ras al-Khaimah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $767 in Ras al-Khaimah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $299 in Ras al-Khaimah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ras al-Khaimah but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ras al-Khaimah 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 Ras al-Khaimah 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 Ras al-Khaimah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.