Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,848 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Seoul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,848 in Seoul.

Lisbon $2,210
Seoul $1,848

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,986 in Seoul.

Lisbon $3,275
Seoul $2,986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,125 in Seoul.

Lisbon $4,341
Seoul $4,125

Living in Lisbon is roughly 20% more expensive than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Seoul 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$9.05 ₩12.1K

83.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$68.3 ₩91.2K

-9.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$7.35 ₩9,812

54.56%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.12 ₩5,498

-27.91%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.64 ₩2,195

39.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.81 ₩1,077

114.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.71 ₩4,952

-8.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$6.13 ₩8,188

-46.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.04 ₩2,726

-43.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.21 ₩4,286

-40.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$4.39 ₩5,858

-65.60%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.59 ₩4,795

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$18.23 ₩24.3K

-29.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$10.51 ₩14.0K

-26.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$26.89 ₩35.9K

-33.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$7.86 ₩10.5K

-70.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$3.53 ₩4,712

-50.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$5.70 ₩7,616

-67.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$6.18 ₩8,249

-58.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.76 ₩5,024

-51.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.51 ₩3,354

-21.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.82 ₩3,758

-47.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.11 ₩1,482

-35.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.30 ₩4,406

99.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$18.64 ₩24.9K

-69.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.42 ₩3,229

-43.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.36 ₩4,483

-36.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.19 ₩1,591

95.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$46.13 ₩61.6K

-3.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.55 ₩4,742

8.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.60 ₩806

78.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$9.08 ₩12.1K

81.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.44 ₩1,920

52.78%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$30.3K ₩40.4M

12.97%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$28.9K ₩38.6M

34.01%

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

$161 €144

$213 ₩283.7K

-24.14%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$35.83 ₩47.8K

-48.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$21.39 ₩28.6K

53.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$61.6 ₩82.3K

-27.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$16.41 ₩21.9K

16.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.42 ₩15.2K

-15.94%

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

$668 €598

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-65.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$22.8K ₩30.4M

-22.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$59.8 ₩79.8K

70.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$34.19 ₩45.7K

30.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$66.0 ₩88.1K

49.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$81.9 ₩109.3K

51.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$924 ₩1.2M

74.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$659 ₩880.0K

80.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$3,012 ₩4.0M

-6.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,440 ₩1.9M

39.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$27.2K ₩36.3M

-71.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$11.3K ₩15.1M

-59.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,570 ₩4.8M

-55.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.08

-5.64%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Seoul

$659 35.7% 44.6% $531

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Seoul

$483 26.2% 77.5% $211

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Seoul

$184 10% 24% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Seoul

$270 14.6% 27% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Seoul

$109 5.9% 34.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Seoul

$84 4.6% 32.5% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 9.1% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $924 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $68 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $483 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

02:26 2:26 AM

9 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, 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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Lisbon Seoul 10,420 km ≈ 14 h 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 Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,848 in Seoul, so Seoul is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% 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 $924 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,948 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 44% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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