Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Salem

For one person, living is cheaper in Salem: $353 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Salem
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Salem Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Salem

🇮🇳 India

$353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in 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 Salem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $353 in Salem.

Lisbon $2,210
Salem $353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $561 in Salem.

Lisbon $3,275
Salem $561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $768 in Salem.

Lisbon $4,341
Salem $768

Living in Lisbon is roughly 525% more expensive than in Salem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Salem is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$2.13 ₹203

681.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$7.27 ₹692

749.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$3.72 ₹354

205.38%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.26 ₹120

135.71%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.44 ₹41.93

420.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.17 ₹16.37

923.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.16 ₹205

57.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.76 ₹453

-30.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.54 ₹51.3

114.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.44 ₹42.30

334.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.55 ₹52.6

174.55%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$0.73 ₹70.0

450.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$4.96 ₹472

160.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$2.54 ₹242

205.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.03 ₹194

13.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$0.69 ₹66.2

150.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.42 ₹135

30.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$0.38 ₹35.76

581.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.38 ₹36.19

378.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.47 ₹44.54

319.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.25 ₹23.95

488.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.29 ₹27.58

148.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$5.02 ₹478

31.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$3.02 ₹288

85.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.38 ₹132

-1.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.11 ₹201

1.42%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.70 ₹352

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.22 ₹20.99

959.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$9.63 ₹917

363.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.02 ₹97.5

277.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.11 ₹10.91

872.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$1.02 ₹97.4

1513.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.08 ₹103

103.70%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

200.37%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$18.9K ₹1.8M

104.75%

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

$161 €145

$53.4 ₹5,088

201.74%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$2.80 ₹266

557.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$9.95 ₹948

229.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$17.46 ₹1,663

155.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$9.44 ₹899

102.33%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$2.12 ₹202

352.83%

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

$668 €600

$53.7 ₹5,117

1142.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,661 ₹158.2K

960.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$19.38 ₹1,845

426.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$14.28 ₹1,360

211.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$30.73 ₹2,926

220.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$26.95 ₹2,566

358.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$102 ₹9,759

1469.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$58.0 ₹5,527

1950.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$264 ₹25.1K

964.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$170 ₹16.2K

1085.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$1,297 ₹123.5K

504.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$431 ₹41.1K

961.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$345 ₹32.9K

356.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.4

-62.98%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Salem: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Salem

$58 16.4% 95.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Salem

$88 25% 67.6% $184

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Salem

$66 18.7% 72.8% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Salem

$66 18.7% 68.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Salem

$41 11.6% 75.2% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Salem

$22 6.1% 65.9% $42

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Salem

$12 3.4% 80.8% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $102 in Salem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4.6 times 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 in Lisbon vs $7 in Salem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $88 per month, with Salem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇳 Salem

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

03:36 3:36 AM

5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

831,038

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Salem 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Salem

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 Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $353 in Salem, so Salem is about 84% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 4.6 times higher, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $102 in Salem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $54 in Salem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 209% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $353 in Salem versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Salem but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Salem 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.

Expats usually find Salem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.