Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ruse

For one person, living is cheaper in Ruse: $990 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Ruse
Learn more

Ruse Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Ruse

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ruse

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $990 in Ruse.

Lisbon $2,202
Ruse $990

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,470 in Ruse.

Lisbon $3,274
Ruse $1,470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,949 in Ruse.

Lisbon $4,346
Ruse $1,949

Living in Lisbon is roughly 122% more expensive than in Ruse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Ruse is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$9.07 BGN 15.77

87.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$34.26 BGN 59.6

81.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.55 BGN 16.62

15.39%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.68 BGN 2.93

85.71%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.48 BGN 2.58

53.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.83 BGN 1.45

109.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.76 BGN 3.07

94.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.80 BGN 4.88

33.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.75 BGN 3.04

-33.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.01 BGN 1.76

84.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.28 BGN 3.96

-32.46%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.55 BGN 4.43

59.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.93 BGN 15.54

44.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.77 BGN 13.52

1.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.42 BGN 25.10

22.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.40 BGN 2.44

61.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.85 BGN 3.21

-5.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.01 BGN 3.50

-5.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.02 BGN 3.52

26.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.08 BGN 1.87

71.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.06 BGN 1.84

85.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.21 BGN 2.11

19.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.66 BGN 1.15

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.40 BGN 5.91

97.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.12 BGN 10.66

-7.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.13 BGN 1.97

21.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.17 BGN 2.04

80.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.84 BGN 1.46

176.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$15.93 BGN 27.71

178.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.25 BGN 2.17

216.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.61 BGN 1.06

72.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$10.22 BGN 17.79

67.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.51 BGN 2.63

45.03%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

12.03%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$22.6K BGN 39.3K

69.52%

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

$164 €146

$104 BGN 182

57.01%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$17.91 BGN 31.17

3.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$12.89 BGN 22.44

155.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$31.68 BGN 55.1

44.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$8.80 BGN 15.32

112.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.60 BGN 9.74

74.11%

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

$684 €608

$518 BGN 902

32.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$5,381 BGN 9,363

227.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$50.9 BGN 88.6

103.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$28.15 BGN 48.99

64.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$72.0 BGN 125

38.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$87.2 BGN 152

42.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$348 BGN 606

356.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$305 BGN 531

282.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$526 BGN 914

442.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$409 BGN 712

386.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,660 BGN 2,889

369.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,210 BGN 2,105

265.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$966 BGN 1,681

65.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.1

24.19%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ruse: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Ruse

$305 30.9% 73.9% $864

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Ruse

$230 23.3% 15.6% $43

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Ruse

$145 14.7% 41.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Ruse

$135 13.7% 37.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Ruse

$107 10.8% 36.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Ruse

$43 4.3% 34.4% $23

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ruse

$24 2.4% 62.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $348 in Ruse. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 66% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $34.00 in Ruse for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $230 per month, with Ruse cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Ruse

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

159,798

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Ruse 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Ruse

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 Ruse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Ruse differ by about 122% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $990 including rent). Ruse is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $348 in Ruse. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $518 in Ruse. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $990 in Ruse versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ruse but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ruse 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 Ruse 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 Ruse gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.