Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Samokov

For one person, living is cheaper in Samokov: $1,052 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Samokov
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Samokov Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Samokov

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,052

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Samokov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,052 in Samokov.

Lisbon $2,206
Samokov $1,052

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,641 in Samokov.

Lisbon $3,276
Samokov $1,641

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,229 in Samokov.

Lisbon $4,346
Samokov $2,229

Living in Lisbon is roughly 110% more expensive than in Samokov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Samokov is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.08

$9.18 BGN 16.06

83.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.6

$45.91 BGN 80.3

32.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.82

$9.87 BGN 17.27

11.25%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.73

$2.78 BGN 4.87

9.71%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$1.75 BGN 3.06

30.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.52 BGN 2.66

10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$2.58 BGN 4.52

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.49

$4.29 BGN 7.50

-8.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.74 BGN 3.05

-33.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.18 BGN 2.06

60.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-33.04%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.68

$3.77 BGN 6.59

9.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.63

$11.31 BGN 19.80

15.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.19

$8.18 BGN 14.32

-1.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €16.00

$14.13 BGN 24.73

26.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.63 BGN 2.86

39.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.81 BGN 3.17

-3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.97 BGN 3.45

-7.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.62 BGN 4.59

2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.09 BGN 1.90

62.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.05 BGN 1.83

84.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.16 BGN 2.04

25.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.76 BGN 1.32

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.95

$3.95 BGN 6.91

68.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$6.34 BGN 11.09

-11.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.18 BGN 2.06

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.10 BGN 3.67

1.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.83 BGN 1.45

177.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.36

$25.19 BGN 44.08

74.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.56

$1.25 BGN 2.18

218.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.65 BGN 1.13

-1.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.92

$10.19 BGN 17.84

85.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.76 BGN 3.08

29.55%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

12.49%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$24.2K BGN 42.4K

59.10%

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

$158 €141

$113 BGN 198

39.86%

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

$17.54 €15.68

$18.76 BGN 32.83

-6.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.89

$15.53 BGN 27.17

100.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.92

$31.44 BGN 55.0

41.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.97

$16.62 BGN 29.09

14.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.56

$9.17 BGN 16.04

4.47%

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

$674 €602

$510 BGN 892

32.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$5,364 BGN 9,387

249.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$68.8 BGN 120

48.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €41.04

$42.35 BGN 74.1

8.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.4

$95.1 BGN 166

7.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$105 BGN 183

16.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,467

$337 BGN 590

386.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,062

$259 BGN 453

359.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,526

$549 BGN 961

414.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,805

$404 BGN 707

399.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €7,007

$1,301 BGN 2,277

502.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,204

$1,113 BGN 1,949

322.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,508

$728 BGN 1,275

131.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.1

23.23%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Samokov: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Samokov

$259 24.6% 78.2% $929

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Samokov

$252 24% 8.1% $22

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Samokov

$171 16.3% 30.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Samokov

$147 14% 28.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Samokov

$140 13.3% 16.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Samokov

$50 4.7% 22% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Samokov

$33 3.1% 45.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $337 in Samokov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $46 in Samokov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $252 per month, with Samokov cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Samokov

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

25,138

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Samokov 2,780 km ≈ 4 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 Samokov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,052 in Samokov, so Samokov is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.3 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $337 in Samokov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $510 in Samokov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% 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. Samokov 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 Samokov are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Samokov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.