Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ruwais

For one person, living is cheaper in Ruwais: $1,825 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Ruwais
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Ruwais Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ruwais

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ruwais

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,825 in Ruwais.

Lisbon $2,210
Ruwais $1,825

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,369 in Ruwais.

Lisbon $3,275
Ruwais $3,369

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,913 in Ruwais.

Lisbon $4,341
Ruwais $4,913

Living in Lisbon is roughly 21% more expensive than in Ruwais, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Ruwais 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.94

$9.31 AED 34.20

78.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.4

$55.1 AED 202

12.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.19

$8.46 AED 31.08

34.28%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.69 AED 17.22

-36.67%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.70 AED 2.58

227.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.35 AED 1.29

397.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$8.28 AED 30.39

-58.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.72 AED 24.66

-50.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.76 AED 6.48

-34.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.66 AED 6.09

15.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.29 AED 8.40

-34.06%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.89 AED 10.62

39.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.61

$9.33 AED 34.28

38.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$11.37 AED 41.77

-31.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.94

$9.31 AED 34.18

90.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.87 AED 10.54

-19.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.01 AED 7.39

-13.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.93 AED 7.08

-3.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.88 AED 6.90

37.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.19 AED 4.37

52.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.28 AED 4.71

53.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.80 AED 2.93

83.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.52 AED 1.90

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.31 AED 23.17

4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.03

$12.05 AED 44.26

-53.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.54 AED 9.31

-46.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.78 AED 10.22

-23.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.15 AED 7.90

8.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.09

$34.45 AED 127

29.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.35 AED 8.64

63.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.14 AED 4.17

-6.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.77

$8.03 AED 29.51

104.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.85 AED 3.13

158.82%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$45.6K AED 167.3K

-24.96%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$21.9K AED 80.3K

77.19%

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

$161 €145

$114 AED 419

41.38%

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

$18.41 €16.52

$48.60 AED 178

-62.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.37

$96.7 AED 355

-66.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.97

$58.0 AED 213

-23.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.14

$28.93 AED 106

-33.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.61

$13.58 AED 49.87

-29.31%

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

$668 €599

$570 AED 2,094

17.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,432 AED 27.3K

137.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.5

$43.54 AED 160

134.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.90

$55.6 AED 204

-20.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.4

$70.1 AED 257

40.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$102 AED 375

21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,443

$811 AED 2,979

98.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,068

$823 AED 3,022

44.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,523

$1,854 AED 6,808

51.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,806

$2,715 AED 9,971

-25.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,034

$4,946 AED 18.2K

58.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,106

$2,294 AED 8,424

99.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,413

$2,760 AED 10.1K

-42.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-23.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ruwais: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ruwais

$823 45.1% 30.9% $367

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ruwais

$269 14.8% 1.2% $3.2

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ruwais

$215 11.8% 11.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ruwais

$259 14.2% 22.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ruwais

$122 6.7% 26.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ruwais

$85 4.7% 33.6% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ruwais

$51 2.8% 19.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $811 in Ruwais. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ruwais pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $55 in Ruwais for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $269 per month, with Ruwais cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇪 Ruwais

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

4 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

25,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Ruwais 5,980 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Ruwais: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,825 in Ruwais, so Ruwais is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $811 in Ruwais. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ruwais runs roughly 23% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,825 in Ruwais – Ruwais is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Ruwais are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.