Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sabac

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabac: $840 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Sabac
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Sabac Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Sabac

🇷🇸 Serbia

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sabac

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $840 in Sabac.

Lisbon $2,202
Sabac $840

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,276 in Sabac.

Lisbon $3,274
Sabac $1,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,712 in Sabac.

Lisbon $4,346
Sabac $1,712

Living in Lisbon is roughly 162% more expensive than in Sabac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Sabac is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$8.23 RSD 858

107.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$27.55 RSD 2,872

126.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$6.71 RSD 700

64.23%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.87 RSD 195

66.84%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.87 RSD 195

21.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.40 RSD 146

24.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.63 RSD 274

30.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.63 RSD 274

42.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.31 RSD 136

-10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.62 RSD 65.0

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.92 RSD 200

-19.79%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.89 RSD 197

114.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$5.65 RSD 589

128.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$6.31 RSD 658

25.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$11.48 RSD 1,197

53.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.24 RSD 129

82.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.80 RSD 188

-2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.45 RSD 151

30.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.88 RSD 196

36.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.70 RSD 72.6

164.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.35 RSD 36.08

462.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.00 RSD 105

45.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.40 RSD 41.90

92.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.61 RSD 377

85.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.74 RSD 807

-26.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.66 RSD 68.4

107.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$0.94 RSD 97.6

124.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.93 RSD 97.1

149.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.39 RSD 145

184.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.95 RSD 98.9

10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$5.11 RSD 532

235.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.76 RSD 183

24.43%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$30.3K RSD 3.2M

11.62%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$24.4K RSD 2.5M

56.57%

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

$164 €146

$138 RSD 14.4K

18.86%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$25.50 RSD 2,658

-27.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$18.96 RSD 1,976

73.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$29.17 RSD 3,041

57.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$11.44 RSD 1,192

63.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.58 RSD 581

74.73%

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

$684 €608

$176 RSD 18.3K

288.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$3,770 RSD 393.0K

367.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$59.8 RSD 6,238

73.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$64.5 RSD 6,721

-28.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$56.6 RSD 5,898

76.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$118 RSD 12.3K

5.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$234 RSD 24.4K

578.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$151 RSD 15.7K

673.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$345 RSD 35.9K

727.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$250 RSD 26.1K

696.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,884 RSD 196.4K

313.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,514 RSD 157.8K

191.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$962 RSD 100.3K

66.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.84

-20.45%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sabac: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Sabac

$151 18% 87.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Sabac

$182 21.7% 33.4% $91

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Sabac

$140 16.7% 43.5% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Sabac

$182 21.7% 15.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Sabac

$135 16% 20.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Sabac

$40 4.8% 38.3% $25

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sabac

$9.9 * 1.2% 84.3% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $234 in Sabac. 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 $28.00 in Sabac for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $182 per month, with Sabac cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇸 Sabac

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

51,163

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sabac 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Sabac

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 Sabac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sabac differ by about 162% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $840 including rent). Sabac 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 $234 in Sabac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $840 in Sabac – a 162% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $840 in Sabac versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sabac but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sabac 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 Sabac 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 Sabac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 162% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.