Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sala, Slovakia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,362 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,362 in Sala.

Lisbon $2,206
Sala $1,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,975 in Sala.

Lisbon $3,276
Sala $1,975

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,589 in Sala.

Lisbon $4,346
Sala $2,589

Living in Lisbon is roughly 62% more expensive than in Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$9.34 €8.31

80.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$32.92 €29.29

85.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$8.91 €7.92

23.23%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$3.06 €2.72

-0.33%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.06 €1.83

10.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.41 €1.26

19.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.39 €2.13

43.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.29 €2.04

70.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.05 €0.93

9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.49 €1.32

26.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.00 €1.78

-25.00%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$3.53 €3.14

16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$9.96 €8.87

30.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$7.48 €6.66

7.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$11.38 €10.13

57.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.68 €1.49

35.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.03 €1.81

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.29 €2.04

-20.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.61 €2.33

3.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.37 €1.22

29.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.50 €1.34

29.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.59 €1.42

-8.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.83 €0.74

-8.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$6.79 €6.04

-1.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.26 €2.90

73.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.97 €0.86

32.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.88 €1.67

13.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.02 €0.91

125.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$25.40 €22.60

73.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.65 €1.47

141.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.38 €0.34

68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$13.55 €12.06

39.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.96 €1.75

16.33%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$24.9K €22.2K

33.96%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$22.0K €19.6K

74.73%

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

$158 €141

$228 €203

-30.53%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$19.52 €17.37

-10.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$20.28 €18.05

53.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$38.56 €34.31

15.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

$16.33 €14.53

16.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$9.06 €8.07

5.74%

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

$674 €599

$406 €361

66.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$7,341 €6,532

155.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$58.5 €52.0

74.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$30.14 €26.82

52.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$77.3 €68.8

32.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$91.3 €81.3

33.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$636 €566

157.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$490 €436

142.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$983 €875

187.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$800 €712

152.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$3,109 €2,767

152.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$2,590 €2,305

81.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.57

7.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sala

$490 36% 58.7% $697

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Sala

$230 16.9% 16.1% $44

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Sala

$169 12.4% 31.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Sala

$268 19.6% 29.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Sala

$116 8.5% 30.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sala

$57 4.2% 11.1% $7.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Sala

$33 2.4% 45.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $636 in Sala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $33 in Sala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $230 per month, with Sala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇰 Sala

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

04:18 4:18 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

24,099

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Sala 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,362 in Sala, so Sala is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $2,043 in Sala to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $636 in Sala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $406 in Sala. 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.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Sala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.