Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rethymno

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,358 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
Learn more

Rethymno Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rethymno

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,358 in Rethymno.

Lisbon $2,210
Rethymno $1,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,031 in Rethymno.

Lisbon $3,275
Rethymno $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,703 in Rethymno.

Lisbon $4,341
Rethymno $2,703

Living in Lisbon is roughly 63% more expensive than in Rethymno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.69 €11.38

31.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$56.1 €50.2

10.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.25 €9.18

10.83%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.54 €3.18

-16.10%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.67 €1.50

37.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.58 €0.52

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.54 €4.07

-25.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.25 €4.70

-36.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.58 €1.42

-26.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.21 €1.08

57.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.26 €2.03

-33.19%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.48 €4.01

-10.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$15.17 €13.60

-14.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.68 €8.67

-19.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$15.43 €13.83

15.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.99 €1.79

15.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.99 €1.78

-13.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.24 €1.11

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.70 €1.52

52.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.96 €0.86

89.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.01 €0.90

95.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.69 €0.62

113.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.74 €0.66

-2.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.38 €3.93

50.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.89 €6.18

-18.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.81 €1.62

-24.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.82 €1.64

17.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.81 €1.62

28.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.58 €4.10

-15.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.14 €1.02

-6.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$11.38 €10.20

44.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.21 €1.98

-0.45%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$22.4K €20.1K

52.62%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$24.5K €22.0K

57.93%

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

$161 €144

$191 €171

-15.48%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$18.37 €16.46

0.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$31.03 €27.81

5.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$61.2 €54.8

-27.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$8.46 €7.58

13.48%

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

$668 €598

$366 €328

82.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,964 €3,552

344.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$88.2 €79.0

15.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$11.04 €9.89

302.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$44.52 €39.89

121.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$44.41 €39.80

178.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$548 €491

193.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$447 €401

166.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$913 €818

208.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$700 €627

187.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$4,172 €3,738

87.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,963 €2,655

54.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,201 €1,076

31.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.3

-10.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rethymno: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Rethymno

$447 32.9% 62.4% $743

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Rethymno

$273 20.1% 0.4% $1.1

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Rethymno

$217 16% 10.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Rethymno

$240 17.7% 13.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Rethymno

$85 6.2% 49% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Rethymno

$78 5.8% 22.5% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Rethymno

$18 * 1.3% 72.3% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $548 in Rethymno. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 31% 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 $56 in Rethymno. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

35,763

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Rethymno 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Rethymno

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 Rethymno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,358 in Rethymno, so Rethymno is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $548 in Rethymno. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $366 in Rethymno. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,358 in Rethymno – Rethymno is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,358 in Rethymno versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rethymno but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rethymno 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 Rethymno are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Rethymno wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.