Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Riga

For one person, living is cheaper in Riga: $1,591 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Riga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,591 in Riga.

Lisbon $2,223
Riga $1,591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,428 in Riga.

Lisbon $3,271
Riga $2,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,264 in Riga.

Lisbon $4,319
Riga $3,264

Living in Lisbon is roughly 40% more expensive than in Riga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Riga 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$17.05 €15.17

-3.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$65.9 €58.6

-7.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$8.94 €7.96

26.06%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.63 €3.23

-15.70%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.62 €1.44

39.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.20 €1.07

44.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.43 €4.83

-37.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.96 €4.41

-31.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.19 €1.06

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.49 €1.33

24.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.50 €2.22

-38.80%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.61 €3.21

9.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.61 €9.44

20.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$8.86 €7.88

-10.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$13.85 €12.32

22.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.15 €1.91

5.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.82 €1.62

-3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.45 €2.18

-24.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.09 €2.75

-16.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.83 €0.74

124.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.95 €0.84

112.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.70 €1.51

-15.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.98 €0.87

-16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.75 €6.01

-2.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$7.66 €6.81

-26.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.96 €1.75

-34.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.69 €1.51

39.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$33.13 €29.47

33.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.40 €3.02

17.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.99 €0.88

10.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$17.89 €15.91

-6.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.01 €1.79

13.43%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$27.0K €24.0K

24.78%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$31.4K €28.0K

25.04%

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

$167 €149

$369 €328

-54.60%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$19.45 €17.30

-3.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$19.83 €17.64

66.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$50.9 €45.28

-9.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$35.88 €31.91

-46.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$11.05 €9.83

-10.95%

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

$677 €602

$690 €614

-1.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$17.7K €15.7K

-4.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$69.3 €61.6

46.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$50.5 €44.88

-9.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$85.7 €76.3

16.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$140 €124

-12.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$560 €498

188.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$383 €341

212.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,148 €1,021

149.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$739 €657

169.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,993 €2,662

153.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,050 €1,824

110.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,478 €1,315

7.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.77

-19.29%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Riga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Riga

$383 24.1% 68% $814

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Riga

$268 16.8% 0.5% $1.4

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Riga

$255 16% 5.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Riga

$408 25.7% 86.1% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Riga

$155 9.8% 6.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Riga

$73 4.6% 11.1% $7.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Riga

$48 3% 23.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $560 in Riga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 7% 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 $66.0 in Riga. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $268, with Riga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇻 Riga

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

660,187 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Riga 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min 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 Riga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Riga differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,591 including rent). Riga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% 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 $560 in Riga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $690 in Riga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,591 in Riga versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Riga but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Riga 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 Riga 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 Riga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.