Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Semarang

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $593 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
Learn more

Semarang Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Semarang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $593 in Semarang.

Lisbon $2,210
Semarang $593

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $938 in Semarang.

Lisbon $3,275
Semarang $938

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,282 in Semarang.

Lisbon $4,341
Semarang $1,282

Living in Lisbon is roughly 273% more expensive than in Semarang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Semarang is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

1142.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$10.53 Rp 191.3K

486.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$3.04 Rp 55.3K

273.68%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

132.03%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.43 Rp 7,808

432.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.16 Rp 2,847

987.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

107.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.25 Rp 59.1K

1.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

10.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

107.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

91.14%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

240.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$3.86 Rp 70.2K

235.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$2.33 Rp 42.4K

233.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$7.55 Rp 137.3K

135.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.96 Rp 35.7K

17.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

35.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.80 Rp 32.8K

3.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

76.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

42.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.93 Rp 17.0K

58.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.40 Rp 7,359

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$1.87 Rp 34.1K

251.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$25.05 Rp 455.2K

-77.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

-17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

9.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.21 Rp 3,816

1009.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$13.93 Rp 253.1K

220.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.50 Rp 9,128

670.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.29 Rp 5,331

268.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$2.69 Rp 48.8K

511.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

185.71%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$24.5K Rp 446.0M

39.34%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$32.2K Rp 585.5M

20.21%

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

$161 €145

$86.1 Rp 1.6M

87.18%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

589.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$18.96 Rp 344.7K

72.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$20.30 Rp 368.9K

119.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$4.49 Rp 81.5K

325.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

326.67%

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

$668 €600

$49.33 Rp 896.6K

1253.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,076 Rp 37.7M

748.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$34.61 Rp 629.1K

194.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$29.31 Rp 532.7K

51.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

74.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$38.07 Rp 691.9K

224.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$226 Rp 4.1M

611.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$136 Rp 2.5M

772.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$477 Rp 8.7M

489.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$380 Rp 6.9M

430.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$1,223 Rp 22.2M

541.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$833 Rp 15.1M

449.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$186 Rp 3.4M

748.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.82

-56.35%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Semarang: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Semarang

$136 23% 88.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Semarang

$184 31% 32.5% $88

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Semarang

$52 8.8% 78.5% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Semarang

$108 18.2% 49.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Semarang

$71 12% 57% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Semarang

$25 4.2% 61.1% $39

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Semarang

$17 2.8% 73.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $226 in Semarang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $11 in Semarang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $184 per month, with Semarang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇩 Semarang

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

04:13 4:13 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,555,984

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Semarang 13,040 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Semarang

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 Semarang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $593 in Semarang, so Semarang is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 8.5 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $226 in Semarang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $593 in Semarang versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Semarang but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Semarang 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 Semarang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.