Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Seria
🇧🇳 Brunei
$567
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Seria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $567 in Seria.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Seria $567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $904 in Seria.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Seria $904

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,242 in Seria.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Seria $1,242

Living in Lisbon is roughly 292% more expensive than in Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Seria is 58% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Seria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.67
$3.13 BND 4.00
427.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.5
$27.07 BND 34.64
126.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.03
$5.36 BND 6.86
110.26%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.59 BND 2.04
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.32 BND 2.96
-
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$3.88 BND 4.97
-21.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$0.91 BND 1.16
148.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$0.54 BND 0.69
220.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.02
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Seria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.81 BND 2.32
-38.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.43 BND 1.83
30.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$1.21 BND 1.55
26.45%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.53
$1.38 BND 1.76
186.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.35
$6.17 BND 7.90
106.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.02
$4.41 BND 5.64
79.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.09
$10.89 BND 13.93
55.83%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$3.20 BND 4.09
-29.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$2.23 BND 2.85
-21.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.98 BND 3.82
-37.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.28
$2.55 BND 3.27
0.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.68 BND 2.15
10.71%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$2.08 BND 2.66
-2.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$3.74 BND 4.79
-61.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$0.76 BND 0.98
7.89%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$23.42 BND 29.96
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$3.22 BND 4.12
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.08 BND 1.38
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.83
$15.42 BND 19.73
-57.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Seria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.30
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$4.02 BND 5.14
-0.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$3.25 BND 4.15
-66.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.81
$11.77 BND 15.06
41.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$0.30 BND 0.38
660.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$43.5K BND 55.7K
-22.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$36.2K BND 46.3K
8.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Seria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$61.8 BND 79.0
171.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.72
$15.66 BND 20.03
20.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.43
$64.1 BND 82.0
-48.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Seria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €40.93
$27.52 BND 35.20
67.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.07
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.75
$5.36 BND 6.86
83.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Seria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €602
$216 BND 276
214.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$9,750 BND 12.5K
73.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Seria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.1
$31.04 BND 39.71
226.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.70
$27.71 BND 35.45
65.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.9
$50.3 BND 64.4
98.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$46.16 BND 59.1
165.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Seria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,436
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,065
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,545
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,770
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,740
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,831
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Seria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,412
$716 BND 917
121.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
3.88
-0.77%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Seria
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Seria
$203 24.5% $66
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Seria
$94 61.4% $149
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Seria
$142 35.5% $78
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Seria
$70 58% $97
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Seria
$38 41.8% $27
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Seria
$20 * 67.9% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays 122% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $27.00 in Seria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $203 per month, with Seria cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇧🇳 Seria
🕒 Local time
04:24 4:24 AM
11:24 11:24 AM
7 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
30,097
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Seria 12,480 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Seria

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 Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Seria?
Lisbon and Seria differ by about 292% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $567 including rent). Seria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Seria?
Average pay runs 122% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Seria?
All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $567 in Seria – a 292% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $567 in Seria versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Seria but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Seria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Seria?
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.
Is Lisbon or Seria safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Seria are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Seria?
Expats usually find Seria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 292% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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