Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Resen

For one person, living is cheaper in Resen: $957 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Resen, North Macedonia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Resen
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$957
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Resen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $957 in Resen.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Resen $957

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,461 in Resen.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Resen $1,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,965 in Resen.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Resen $1,965

Living in Lisbon is roughly 131% more expensive than in Resen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Resen is 30% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Resen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.87
$9.39 MKD 514
77.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.2
$35.01 MKD 1,914
76.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.14
$6.64 MKD 363
71.08%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.65
$2.08 MKD 114
42.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.04
$1.79 MKD 97.9
27.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.32 MKD 71.9
31.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.04
$2.66 MKD 145
27.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$2.70 MKD 148
22.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Resen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.03
$1.24 MKD 67.5
-6.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$0.78 MKD 42.69
144.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.77 MKD 96.6
-14.69%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.59
$2.49 MKD 136
61.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.56
$8.20 MKD 448
57.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.94
$7.44 MKD 407
4.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.86
$15.01 MKD 821
18.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.44 MKD 78.6
59.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.45 MKD 79.4
19.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.32 MKD 72.3
40.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.31
$1.94 MKD 106
33.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.90 MKD 48.96
102.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.84 MKD 46.03
134.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$0.64 MKD 34.99
129.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.58 MKD 31.72
24.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.88
$3.44 MKD 188
91.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.01
$7.18 MKD 393
-21.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.07 MKD 58.3
27.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.44 MKD 78.6
48.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Resen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.08
$0.82 MKD 44.61
184.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €39.91
$22.03 MKD 1,204
102.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.44
$1.11 MKD 60.7
246.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.61 MKD 33.25
75.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.70
$7.37 MKD 403
123.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.57 MKD 85.8
40.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.5K
$33.8K MKD 1.8M
1.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.6K
$26.0K MKD 1.4M
48.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Resen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$156 MKD 8,525
3.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.44
$18.53 MKD 1,013
-0.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.24
$19.21 MKD 1,051
70.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Resen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.79
$21.89 MKD 1,197
103.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.06
$19.28 MKD 1,054
-0.93%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.57
$7.13 MKD 390
34.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Resen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €596
$365 MKD 20.0K
82.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$5,684 MKD 310.8K
209.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Resen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.1
$85.6 MKD 4,682
19.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.72
$36.23 MKD 1,981
22.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.0
$102 MKD 5,598
-3.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €110
$113 MKD 6,166
9.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Resen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,437
$313 MKD 17.1K
413.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,063
$183 MKD 10.0K
548.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,512
$511 MKD 27.9K
450.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,798
$287 MKD 15.7K
601.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,002
$1,481 MKD 81.0K
429.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,087
$1,245 MKD 68.1K
267.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Resen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,407
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.23
-8.98%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Resen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Resen
$183 84.6% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Resen
$211 22.4% $61
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Resen
$151 37.7% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Resen
$194 8.8% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Resen
$152 8.6% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Resen
$36 43.3% $28
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Resen
$29 53.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $313 in Resen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $35 in Resen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $211 per month, with Resen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇲🇰 Resen
🕒 Local time
02:35 2:35 AM
03:35 3:35 AM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
8,700
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 54.68 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.29 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Resen 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Resen

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 Resen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Resen?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $957 in Resen, so Resen is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Resen?
You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,435 in Resen 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Resen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $313 in Resen. 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 Resen?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $365 in Resen. 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 29% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Resen?
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 Resen safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Resen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Resen?
Expats usually find Resen 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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