Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rijeka

For one person, living is cheaper in Rijeka: $1,577 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Rijeka
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Rijeka Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Rijeka

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,577

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rijeka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,577 in Rijeka.

Lisbon $2,223
Rijeka $1,577

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,412 in Rijeka.

Lisbon $3,271
Rijeka $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,248 in Rijeka.

Lisbon $4,319
Rijeka $3,248

Living in Lisbon is roughly 41% more expensive than in Rijeka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Rijeka 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.14 €11.69

25.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$73.2 €65.1

-16.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.10 €8.98

11.58%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.35 €2.09

30.21%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.03 €2.70

-25.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.95 €1.74

-11.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.86 €3.43

-12.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.37 €3.88

-22.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.25 €1.11

-10.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.53 €1.37

21.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.29 €2.93

-53.50%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.72 €3.31

6.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$15.64 €13.91

-18.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$10.25 €9.12

-22.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$14.21 €12.64

19.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.65 €1.47

37.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.75 €1.56

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.83 €1.63

1.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.62 €2.33

-1.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.37 €1.22

35.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.32 €1.17

53.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.32 €1.17

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.35 €1.20

-39.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.92 €5.26

10.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$7.78 €6.92

-27.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.61 €1.43

-20.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.12 €1.88

-2.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.21 €1.97

6.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$54.4 €48.37

-18.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.73 €5.10

-30.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.44 €1.28

-24.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$27.76 €24.70

-40.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.85 €1.64

23.24%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$26.0K €23.1K

29.47%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$24.7K €21.9K

59.25%

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

$167 €149

$185 €164

-9.35%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$23.53 €20.93

-20.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$38.52 €34.26

-14.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$54.1 €48.13

-14.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$11.04 €9.82

73.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.70 €5.96

46.87%

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

$677 €602

$538 €479

25.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$12.8K €11.4K

32.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$99.9 €88.8

1.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$42.00 €37.36

8.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$101 €89.9

-1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$108 €95.8

14.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$693 €616

132.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$525 €467

127.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,205 €1,072

137.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$859 €764

131.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,045 €3,598

87.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,954 €3,517

8.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,494 €1,329

6.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.73

3.22%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rijeka: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Rijeka

$525 33.3% 56.1% $672

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Rijeka

$292 18.5% 8.4% $23

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Rijeka

$212 13.4% 12.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Rijeka

$247 15.7% 12.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Rijeka

$158 10% 5.2% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Rijeka

$68 4.3% 2.8% $1.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Rijeka

$76 4.8% 20.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $693 in Rijeka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 6% 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 $73.0 in Rijeka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $292 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇭🇷 Rijeka

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

107,964

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Rijeka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Rijeka differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,577 including rent). Rijeka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% 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 $693 in Rijeka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $538 in Rijeka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,577 in Rijeka versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rijeka but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rijeka 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 Rijeka 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 Rijeka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.