Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sabah Al Salem

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabah Al Salem: $1,418 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Sabah Al Salem
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Sabah Al Salem Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sabah Al Salem

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 Sabah Al Salem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem.

Lisbon $2,210
Sabah Al Salem $1,418

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,468 in Sabah Al Salem.

Lisbon $3,275
Sabah Al Salem $2,468

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,518 in Sabah Al Salem.

Lisbon $4,341
Sabah Al Salem $3,518

Living in Lisbon is roughly 56% more expensive than in Sabah Al Salem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sabah Al Salem 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$7.81 KWD 2.41

113.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$71.2 KWD 21.93

-13.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$9.38 KWD 2.89

21.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.01

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$6.61 KWD 2.04

-55.07%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.47 KWD 0.14

387.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.46 KWD 0.14

278.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.86 KWD 0.57

-37.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.25 KWD 0.39

52.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.05 KWD 0.63

-26.34%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.16 KWD 0.97

27.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.12 KWD 2.19

81.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$5.41 KWD 1.67

43.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$10.01 KWD 3.09

77.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.44 KWD 0.75

-5.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.94 KWD 0.60

-10.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.26 KWD 0.39

47.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.47 KWD 0.45

76.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.36 KWD 0.42

33.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.91 KWD 0.28

116.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.65 KWD 0.51

-10.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.49 KWD 0.15

46.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.08 KWD 0.95

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 KWD 0.35

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 KWD 0.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.68 KWD 0.83

145.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.92 KWD 0.28

153.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$112 KWD 34.63

-60.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.60 KWD 1.11

6.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.20 KWD 0.99

-66.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$13.80 KWD 4.25

19.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.33 KWD 0.10

566.67%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$25.2K KWD 7,765

35.70%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$21.5K KWD 6,630

80.01%

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

$161 €144

$38.66 KWD 11.92

317.02%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$23.88 KWD 7.36

-22.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$38.49 KWD 11.86

-14.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$131 KWD 40.32

-65.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$38.26 KWD 11.79

-50.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.06 KWD 3.41

-13.20%

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

$668 €598

$281 KWD 86.6

137.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,550 KWD 2,327

133.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$37.23 KWD 11.47

174.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$39.57 KWD 12.19

12.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$98.9 KWD 30.48

-0.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$89.8 KWD 27.66

37.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$814 KWD 251

97.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$550 KWD 170

116.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,741 KWD 537

61.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,351 KWD 416

49.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,957 KWD 911

-46.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.53

-41.04%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sabah Al Salem: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sabah Al Salem

$550 38.8% 53.8% $640

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sabah Al Salem

$185 13.1% 32.1% $87

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sabah Al Salem

$174 12.3% 28.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sabah Al Salem

$101 7.1% 52.4% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sabah Al Salem

$119 8.4% 28% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sabah Al Salem

$153 10.8% 140% $89

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sabah Al Salem

$136 9.6% 115% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $814 in Sabah Al Salem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sabah Al Salem pays 88% 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 $71 in Sabah Al Salem. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $185, with Sabah Al Salem cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

92,818

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sabah Al Salem 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Sabah Al Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem, so Sabah Al Salem is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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 $814 in Sabah Al Salem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $281 in Sabah Al Salem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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