Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Samos

For one person, living is cheaper in Samos: $1,411 a month against $2,202 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 Samos
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Samos Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Samos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,411 in Samos.

Lisbon $2,202
Samos $1,411

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,081 in Samos.

Lisbon $3,274
Samos $2,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,751 in Samos.

Lisbon $4,346
Samos $2,751

Living in Lisbon is roughly 56% more expensive than in Samos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$11.13 €9.90

53.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$39.72 €35.33

56.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$6.87 €6.11

60.41%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.02 €2.68

3.31%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.36 €2.10

-3.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.88 €0.78

97.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.13 €3.67

-17.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.45 €5.74

-42.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.53 €1.36

-23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.38 €1.23

34.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.61 €2.32

-41.00%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.56 €4.06

-10.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$13.24 €11.78

-2.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.65 €8.59

-18.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.16 €12.59

24.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.16 €1.92

4.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.01 €1.79

-12.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.42 €1.27

33.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.94 €1.73

31.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.16 €1.03

59.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.15 €1.02

71.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.09 €0.97

33.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.85 €0.76

-9.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.37 €4.77

24.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.76 €6.02

-16.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.06 €1.83

-33.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.62 €2.33

-19.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.37 €1.21

69.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$44.20 €39.32

0.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.30 €3.83

-8.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.09 €0.97

-3.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$16.48 €14.66

4.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.15 €1.91

1.86%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$28.1K €25.0K

20.20%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$25.3K €22.5K

51.41%

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

$164 €146

$207 €184

-21.00%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$23.54 €20.94

-21.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$30.70 €27.31

7.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$51.3 €45.61

-10.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$25.38 €22.57

-26.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$8.94 €7.96

9.06%

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

$684 €608

$429 €382

59.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$7,664 €6,817

129.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$89.9 €80.0

15.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$40.02 €35.59

15.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$86.7 €77.1

15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$121 €108

2.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$481 €428

230.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$400 €356

191.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$741 €659

284.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$611 €544

225.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,683 €2,387

190.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,181 €1,940

102.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$990 €881

61.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.46

-13.68%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Samos: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Samos

$400 28.4% 65.7% $769

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Samos

$276 19.6% 1.1% $2.9

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Samos

$192 13.6% 22.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Samos

$262 18.5% 21.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Samos

$152 10.8% 9.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Samos

$69 4.9% 5.8% $3.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Samos

$59 4.2% 5.5% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $481 in Samos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 62% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $40.00 in Samos. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $276, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇷 Samos

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

33,814

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Samos 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min 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 Samos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Samos differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,411 including rent). Samos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $481 in Samos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $429 in Samos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,411 in Samos versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Samos but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Samos 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 Samos 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 Samos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.