Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sandnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,732 in Sandnes, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. The total is higher in Sandnes despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Sandnes
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Sandnes Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sandnes

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sandnes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,732 in Sandnes.

Lisbon $2,210
Sandnes $2,732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,220 in Sandnes.

Lisbon $3,275
Sandnes $4,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,708 in Sandnes.

Lisbon $4,341
Sandnes $5,708

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 19% less than in Sandnes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sandnes 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$24.34 NOK 224

-31.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$97.8 NOK 898

-36.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$15.44 NOK 142

-26.42%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.60 NOK 51.5

-46.96%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.46 NOK 31.78

-33.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.99 NOK 27.51

-41.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$13.86 NOK 127

-75.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$10.60 NOK 97.4

-68.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.50 NOK 22.95

-53.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.42 NOK 31.39

-44.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.56 NOK 23.49

-41.02%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.85 NOK 44.53

-17.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.56 NOK 125

-4.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$16.05 NOK 147

-51.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$33.19 NOK 305

-46.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.54 NOK 32.51

-35.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.89 NOK 26.57

-40.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.15 NOK 28.93

-40.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.99 NOK 45.85

-48.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.64 NOK 24.24

-31.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.38 NOK 21.86

-17.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.89 NOK 26.53

-49.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.43 NOK 22.29

-70.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$16.80 NOK 154

-60.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$16.87 NOK 155

-66.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.29 NOK 30.24

-58.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.43 NOK 40.67

-51.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$4.88 NOK 44.85

-52.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$85.5 NOK 786

-47.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$6.43 NOK 59.1

-40.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.80 NOK 16.49

-40.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$50.1 NOK 460

-67.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.32 NOK 21.29

-5.17%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$45.2K NOK 415.5K

-24.41%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.8K NOK 356.3K

-0.16%

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

$161 €144

$266 NOK 2,447

-39.48%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$34.32 NOK 315

-46.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$80.8 NOK 743

-59.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$46.63 NOK 428

-4.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$54.4 NOK 500

-64.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$19.49 NOK 179

-50.74%

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

$668 €598

$297 NOK 2,726

125.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$9,467 NOK 87.0K

86.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$128 NOK 1,172

-20.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$60.4 NOK 555

-26.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$122 NOK 1,121

-19.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$194 NOK 1,783

-36.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,375 NOK 12.6K

16.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$999 NOK 9,177

19.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$2,076 NOK 19.1K

35.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,834 NOK 16.8K

9.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$6,988 NOK 64.2K

12.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$4,176 NOK 38.4K

9.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,789 NOK 34.8K

-58.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.22

-26.25%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sandnes: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sandnes

$999 36.6% 16.1% $191

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sandnes

$494 18.1% 81.5% $222

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sandnes

$425 15.5% 75% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sandnes

$382 14% 79.7% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sandnes

$227 8.3% 36.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sandnes

$86 3.1% 34.3% $22

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sandnes

$120 4.4% 90.6% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,375 in Sandnes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandnes pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $98 in Sandnes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $494 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇴 Sandnes

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

04:11 4:11 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

83,958

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sandnes 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Sandnes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,732 in Sandnes, so Lisbon is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,375 in Sandnes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $297 in Sandnes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Sandnes. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Sandnes on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.