Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Riffa

For one person, living is cheaper in Riffa: $1,211 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Riffa
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Riffa Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Riffa

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Riffa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,211 in Riffa.

Lisbon $2,210
Riffa $1,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,868 in Riffa.

Lisbon $3,275
Riffa $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,525 in Riffa.

Lisbon $4,341
Riffa $2,525

Living in Lisbon is roughly 83% more expensive than in Riffa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Riffa is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$5.32 BHD 1.99

212.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$40.15 BHD 15.01

53.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$5.85 BHD 2.19

94.19%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.93 BHD 1.47

-24.43%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.63 BHD 0.24

263.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.26 BHD 0.10

569.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.71 BHD 2.51

-49.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.96 BHD 2.98

-58.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.40 BHD 0.52

-17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.67 BHD 0.25

185.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.84 BHD 0.69

-17.93%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.22 BHD 0.83

81.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.16 BHD 3.05

58.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$6.00 BHD 2.25

29.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$8.54 BHD 3.19

107.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.27 BHD 0.85

1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.77 BHD 0.66

-2.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.83 BHD 0.68

1.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.07 BHD 0.40

142.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.06 BHD 0.40

71.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.63 BHD 0.24

212.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.51 BHD 0.19

188.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.50 BHD 0.19

44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.33 BHD 1.99

23.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$13.15 BHD 4.92

-57.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.87 BHD 0.70

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.69 BHD 1.01

-20.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.76 BHD 0.29

206.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$35.33 BHD 13.21

26.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.29 BHD 1.98

-27.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.53 BHD 1.32

-69.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$10.70 BHD 4.00

53.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.50 BHD 0.19

340.00%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$22.8K BHD 8,522

50.04%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$19.4K BHD 7,254

99.66%

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

$161 €144

$133 BHD 49.56

21.66%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$24.38 BHD 9.12

-24.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$35.65 BHD 13.33

-8.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$73.5 BHD 27.49

-39.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$13.07 BHD 4.89

46.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$10.59 BHD 3.96

-9.35%

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

$668 €598

$633 BHD 237

5.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,805 BHD 2,171

203.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$29.31 BHD 10.96

248.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$21.27 BHD 7.95

109.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$67.3 BHD 25.17

46.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$39.08 BHD 14.61

216.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$919 BHD 344

74.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$426 BHD 159

179.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,524 BHD 570

84.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$850 BHD 318

136.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,411 BHD 528

11.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.5

-30.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Riffa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Riffa

$426 35.2% 64.2% $764

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Riffa

$205 17% 24.6% $67

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Riffa

$160 13.3% 33.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Riffa

$193 15.9% 9.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Riffa

$71 5.8% 57.4% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Riffa

$95 7.8% 48.5% $31

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Riffa

$61 5.1% 2.9% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $919 in Riffa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 12% 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 $40 in Riffa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $205 per month, with Riffa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇭 Riffa

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

00:00 12:00 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

121,566

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BHD = 2.67 USD

1 BHD = 2.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Riffa 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Riffa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,211 in Riffa, so Riffa is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% 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 $919 in Riffa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $633 in Riffa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,211 in Riffa versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Riffa but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Riffa 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 Riffa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Riffa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.