Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saar

For one person, living is cheaper in Saar: $1,973 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Saar

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Saar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,973 in Saar.

Lisbon $2,202
Saar $1,973

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,761 in Saar.

Lisbon $3,274
Saar $2,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,549 in Saar.

Lisbon $4,346
Saar $3,549

Living in Lisbon is roughly 12% more expensive than in Saar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Saar 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$10.72 BHD 4.05

58.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$33.26 BHD 12.55

87.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.54 BHD 3.98

4.55%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.74 BHD 2.17

-45.64%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.63 BHD 0.62

39.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.00 BHD 0.38

74.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.05 BHD 2.28

-43.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$9.54 BHD 3.60

-60.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.73 BHD 0.65

-32.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.30 BHD 0.49

43.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.68 BHD 1.01

-42.54%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.72 BHD 1.03

49.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$13.28 BHD 5.01

-2.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$6.69 BHD 2.52

18.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$15.98 BHD 6.03

10.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.86 BHD 1.46

-41.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.41 BHD 0.91

-27.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.62 BHD 1.37

-47.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.95 BHD 0.73

31.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.67 BHD 0.25

176.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.62 BHD 0.61

21.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.80 BHD 0.30

-3.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$26.02 BHD 9.82

-78.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.80 BHD 0.30

190.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$5.27 BHD 1.99

-25.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.61 BHD 0.23

259.02%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

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

$38.3K €34.0K

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

$164 €146

$130 BHD 49.12

25.86%

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

$18.48 €16.43

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$32.23 BHD 12.16

2.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$157 BHD 59.4

-70.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$105 BHD 39.56

-82.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$15.57 BHD 5.88

-37.38%

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

$684 €608

$554 BHD 209

23.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$7,839 BHD 2,958

124.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$91.1 BHD 34.40

13.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$39.39 BHD 14.87

17.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$104 BHD 39.32

-4.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$105 BHD 39.45

19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,345 BHD 508

18.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$917 BHD 346

27.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,141 BHD 808

33.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,210 BHD 457

64.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,111 BHD 797

109.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,423 BHD 915

-33.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Saar: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Saar

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Saar

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Saar

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Saar

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Saar

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Saar

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Saar

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,345 in Saar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saar pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $33.00 in Saar. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $298, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇭 Saar

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

04:31 4:31 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

6,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Saar 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Saar

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 Saar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Saar differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,973 including rent). Saar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Saar. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,345 in Saar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $1,973 in Saar – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,973 in Saar versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Saar but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Saar 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 Saar 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 Saar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.