Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sari

For one person, living is cheaper in Sari: $874 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sari
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Sari Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sari

🇮🇷 Iran

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sari

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $874 in Sari.

Lisbon $2,210
Sari $874

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,080 in Sari.

Lisbon $3,275
Sari $1,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,287 in Sari.

Lisbon $4,341
Sari $1,287

Living in Lisbon is roughly 153% more expensive than in Sari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Sari is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$3.55 $3.55

369.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$11.80 $11.80

423.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$4.08 $4.08

178.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 $0.91

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$1.23 $1.23

141.46%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$0.48 $0.48

377.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.52 $0.52

234.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.48 $0.48

141.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.60 $0.60

218.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.32 $3.32

-54.52%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$1.23 $1.23

226.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$4.48 $4.48

188.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$3.46 $3.46

124.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$9.25 $9.25

92.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.32 $1.32

74.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.88 $1.88

-7.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.19 $1.19

56.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$0.65 $0.65

298.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.59 $0.59

208.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.51 $0.51

286.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.58 $0.58

153.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.30 $0.30

140.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$2.44 $2.44

169.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

$9.87 $9.87

352.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$0.51 $0.51

654.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.31 $0.31

245.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$3.03 $3.03

443.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.09 $0.09

2344.44%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$50.9K $50.9K

-32.89%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$45.1K $45.1K

-14.13%

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

$161 €144

$13.18 $13.18

1123.22%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$1.58 $1.58

1065.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$3.99 $3.99

720.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$49.52 $49.52

-10.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

$11.93 $11.93

60.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$1.02 $1.02

841.18%

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

$668 €596

$49.24 $49.24

1255.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$815 $815

2061.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$26.10 $26.10

290.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$37.45 $37.45

18.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$115 $115

-14.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$73.5 $73.5

68.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$794 $794

102.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$497 $497

139.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$693 $693

305.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$401 $401

402.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$857 $857

814.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$526 $526

770.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$248 $248

535.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

24.79

-84.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sari: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sari

$497 56.8% 58.3% $693

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sari

$122 14% 55.2% $150

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sari

$59 6.8% 75.5% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sari

$19 2.1% 91.2% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sari

$113 13% 31.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sari

$52 5.9% 19.1% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sari

$12 * 1.4% 81.1% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $794 in Sari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $12 in Sari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $122 per month, with Sari cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇷 Sari

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

300,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sari 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Sari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $874 in Sari, so Sari is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 6.4 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $794 in Sari. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $49 in Sari. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 123% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $874 in Sari versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sari but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sari 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 Sari are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sari gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.