Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Satu Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Satu Mare: $930 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Satu Mare
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Satu Mare Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Satu Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$930

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Satu Mare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $930 in Satu Mare.

Lisbon $2,202
Satu Mare $930

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,406 in Satu Mare.

Lisbon $3,274
Satu Mare $1,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,883 in Satu Mare.

Lisbon $4,346
Satu Mare $1,883

Living in Lisbon is roughly 137% more expensive than in Satu Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Satu Mare is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$8.20 RON 38.81

107.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$32.51 RON 154

91.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$6.48 RON 30.67

70.06%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.50 RON 11.81

24.80%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.49 RON 7.04

52.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.28 RON 6.07

35.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.87 RON 8.87

82.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.44 RON 11.55

53.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.13 RON 5.33

3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.06 RON 5.04

75.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.13 RON 5.36

36.28%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.69 RON 12.71

50.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$7.35 RON 34.79

75.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.53 RON 35.63

4.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.83 RON 51.2

62.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.10 RON 5.19

105.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.30 RON 6.15

34.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.28 RON 6.04

47.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.43 RON 6.75

79.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.19 RON 5.61

55.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.37 RON 6.48

43.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.88 RON 4.14

64.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.71 RON 3.34

8.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.57 RON 26.38

20.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.19 RON 29.29

-8.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.23 RON 5.80

11.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.70 RON 8.06

24.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.54 RON 2.56

329.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$23.41 RON 111

89.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$0.80 RON 3.79

393.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.85 RON 4.03

23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$8.10 RON 38.34

111.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.58 RON 7.47

38.61%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$22.8K RON 107.9K

48.20%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$25.3K RON 119.5K

51.49%

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

$164 €146

$126 RON 597

29.87%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$7.14 RON 33.79

158.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$7.25 RON 34.30

354.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$41.55 RON 197

10.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$10.68 RON 50.5

74.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$6.19 RON 29.29

57.51%

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

$684 €608

$155 RON 733

341.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$3,829 RON 18.1K

360.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$59.6 RON 282

73.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$28.51 RON 135

62.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$85.6 RON 405

16.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$69.2 RON 328

80.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$322 RON 1,524

393.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$260 RON 1,229

350.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$647 RON 3,060

340.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$410 RON 1,938

386.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,007 RON 4,765

673.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,056 RON 4,995

318.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$650 RON 3,075

146.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.05

-45.39%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Satu Mare: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Satu Mare

$260 27.9% 77.8% $909

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Satu Mare

$195 21% 28.5% $78

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Satu Mare

$140 15.1% 43.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Satu Mare

$141 15.1% 34.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Satu Mare

$109 11.8% 35.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Satu Mare

$54 5.8% 17.5% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Satu Mare

$31 3.3% 51.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $322 in Satu Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 146% 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 $33.00 in Satu Mare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $195 per month, with Satu Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Satu Mare

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

02:27 2:27 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

102,411

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Satu Mare 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Satu Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Satu Mare differ by about 137% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $930 including rent). Satu Mare is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 146% 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 $322 in Satu Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $155 in Satu Mare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $930 in Satu Mare versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Satu Mare but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Satu Mare 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 Satu Mare 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 Satu Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.