Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Salmiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Salmiya: $1,633 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Salmiya
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Salmiya Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Salmiya

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Salmiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,633 in Salmiya.

Lisbon $2,202
Salmiya $1,633

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,420 in Salmiya.

Lisbon $3,274
Salmiya $2,420

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,208 in Salmiya.

Lisbon $4,346
Salmiya $3,208

Living in Lisbon is roughly 35% more expensive than in Salmiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Salmiya 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$9.53 KWD 2.94

78.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$47.53 KWD 14.64

31.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$8.19 KWD 2.52

34.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KWD 0.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 KWD 0.78

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.16 KWD 1.59

-39.53%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.45 KWD 0.14

404.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.31 KWD 0.10

461.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.59 KWD 0.49

-26.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.67 KWD 0.21

177.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.98 KWD 0.61

-22.22%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.06 KWD 0.63

97.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$4.34 KWD 1.34

197.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$6.76 KWD 2.08

16.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.27 KWD 3.17

71.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.51 KWD 0.77

-9.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.94 KWD 0.60

-9.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.72 KWD 0.53

9.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.55 KWD 0.48

65.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.35 KWD 0.42

37.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.48 KWD 0.46

33.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.33 KWD 0.72

-37.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.47 KWD 0.14

63.83%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.94 KWD 0.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 KWD 0.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$2.79 KWD 0.86

140.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

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

$1.11 KWD 0.34

109.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$48.63 KWD 14.98

-8.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.26 KWD 1.00

21.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$3.23 KWD 1.00

-67.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$10.32 KWD 3.18

66.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.33 KWD 0.10

563.64%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$23.5K KWD 7,253

43.50%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$19.7K KWD 6,063

94.45%

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

$164 €146

$48.23 KWD 14.86

239.64%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$22.71 KWD 7.00

-18.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$30.34 KWD 9.35

8.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$149 KWD 45.89

-69.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$15.79 KWD 4.87

18.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$11.47 KWD 3.53

-15.00%

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

$684 €608

$303 KWD 93.5

125.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$7,426 KWD 2,288

137.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$37.43 KWD 11.53

177.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$40.08 KWD 12.35

15.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$97.4 KWD 30.00

2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$88.8 KWD 27.35

40.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,069 KWD 329

48.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$826 KWD 254

41.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,370 KWD 730

20.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,302 KWD 401

53.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,169 KWD 668

-26.25%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Salmiya: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Salmiya

$826 50.6% 29.4% $343

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Salmiya

$177 10.9% 35.1% $96

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Salmiya

$166 10.2% 33% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Salmiya

$101 6.2% 53% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Salmiya

$119 7.3% 29.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Salmiya

$172 10.5% 163% $106

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Salmiya

$72 4.4% 15.2% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,069 in Salmiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salmiya pays 36% 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 $48.00 in Salmiya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $177 per month, with Salmiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇰🇼 Salmiya

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

309,960

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Salmiya 5,290 km ≈ 7 h 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 Salmiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Salmiya differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,633 including rent). Salmiya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Salmiya. 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 $1,069 in Salmiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $303 in Salmiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,633 in Salmiya versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Salmiya but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Salmiya 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 Salmiya 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 Salmiya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.