Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saransk

For one person, living is cheaper in Saransk: $1,154 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Saransk
Learn more

Saransk Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Saransk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Saransk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,154 in Saransk.

Lisbon $2,206
Saransk $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,839 in Saransk.

Lisbon $3,276
Saransk $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,523 in Saransk.

Lisbon $4,346
Saransk $2,523

Living in Lisbon is roughly 91% more expensive than in Saransk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Saransk is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.04

$14.63 ₽1,191

15.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.5

$55.3 ₽4,496

10.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.80

$7.28 ₽592

50.82%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$3.36 ₽274

-9.23%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$1.80 ₽147

26.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.74 ₽60.1

127.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$1.99 ₽162

72.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$3.91 ₽318

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.20 ₽97.9

-4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.78 ₽63.4

142.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.43 ₽116

4.90%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$1.56 ₽127

164.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.60

$11.98 ₽975

8.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.18

$5.12 ₽416

57.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$13.68 ₽1,113

30.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.70 ₽139

33.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.74 ₽141

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.68 ₽136

8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.61 ₽294

-25.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.73 ₽59.2

142.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.61 ₽49.47

218.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.30 ₽106

12.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.72 ₽58.9

5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.94

$3.36 ₽273

98.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$8.50 ₽692

-33.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.17 ₽95.4

10.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.60 ₽212

-17.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.57 ₽46.47

303.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

$25.40 ₽2,067

73.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$2.20 ₽179

80.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.42 ₽34.02

52.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.88

$7.44 ₽605

154.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.85 ₽69.0

168.24%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$53.2K ₽4.3M

-37.27%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$39.5K ₽3.2M

-2.50%

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

$158 €141

$141 ₽11.4K

12.43%

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

$17.54 €15.64

$6.75 ₽549

159.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.82

$8.51 ₽692

266.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.82

$38.56 ₽3,137

15.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

$27.06 ₽2,202

-29.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.54

$7.45 ₽606

28.59%

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

$674 €601

$314 ₽25.5K

114.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$7,219 ₽587.3K

159.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.2

$77.0 ₽6,267

32.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.94

$55.9 ₽4,549

-17.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.2

$140 ₽11.4K

-26.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$83.4 ₽6,782

46.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,463

$492 ₽40.0K

233.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,059

$321 ₽26.1K

269.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,519

$928 ₽75.5K

204.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,800

$584 ₽47.5K

245.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,989

$2,273 ₽184.9K

244.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,193

$1,563 ₽127.1K

200.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,505

$681 ₽55.4K

147.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

20.88

-81.70%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Saransk: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Saransk

$321 27.9% 72.9% $866

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Saransk

$223 19.4% 18.6% $51

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Saransk

$207 18% 15.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Saransk

$156 13.5% 24.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Saransk

$160 13.9% 4.4% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Saransk

$53 4.6% 16.2% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Saransk

$32 2.8% 47.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $492 in Saransk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $55 in Saransk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $223 per month, with Saransk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇺 Saransk

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

320,612

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 81.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.98 RUB (100 RUB = 1.1 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Saransk 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Saransk

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 Saransk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,154 in Saransk, so Saransk is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.5 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 $492 in Saransk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $314 in Saransk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,154 in Saransk versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Saransk but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Saransk 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 Saransk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.