Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Serrai

For one person, living is cheaper in Serrai: $1,506 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Serrai
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Serrai Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Serrai

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Serrai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,506 in Serrai.

Lisbon $2,210
Serrai $1,506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,099 in Serrai.

Lisbon $3,275
Serrai $2,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,693 in Serrai.

Lisbon $4,341
Serrai $2,693

Living in Lisbon is roughly 47% more expensive than in Serrai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Serrai 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$15.07 €13.49

10.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$33.40 €29.91

84.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$13.08 €11.71

-13.15%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.50 €3.13

-15.14%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.23 €2.00

2.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.59 €0.53

194.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.35 €3.90

-21.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$5.71 €5.11

-42.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.39 €1.24

-16.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.15 €1.03

66.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.88 €1.69

-19.68%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.18 €3.74

-3.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$11.11 €9.95

16.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$9.53 €8.54

-18.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$11.21 €10.04

58.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.39 €2.14

-3.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.82 €1.63

-4.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.20 €1.08

55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.58 €1.41

63.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.12 €1.00

62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.03 €0.92

91.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.92 €0.82

59.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.40 €0.36

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.10 €4.57

29.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$8.60 €7.71

-34.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.19 €1.96

-37.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.21 €1.98

-3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.65 €1.48

41.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$51.3 €45.93

-12.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.62 €3.24

6.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.66 €1.49

-35.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$12.05 €10.80

36.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.10 €1.88

4.76%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$25.0K €22.4K

36.60%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.5K €23.8K

45.97%

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

$161 €144

$472 €423

-65.84%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$16.97 €15.20

8.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$30.33 €27.16

7.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$28.37 €25.41

57.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$24.44 €21.89

-21.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.67 €6.87

25.16%

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

$668 €598

$334 €299

99.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,288 €6,527

141.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$44.38 €39.75

129.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$34.05 €30.50

30.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$105 €93.7

-5.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$77.4 €69.4

59.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$335 €300

380.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$264 €236

351.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$473 €423

494.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$405 €363

397.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$956 €856

720.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$659 €590

594.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,121 €1,004

40.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.6

6.94%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Serrai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Serrai

$264 17.5% 77.9% $927

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Serrai

$246 16.4% 9.5% $26

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Serrai

$246 16.4% 1.5% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Serrai

$519 34.5% 145% $307

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Serrai

$117 7.8% 29.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Serrai

$44 2.9% 31.4% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Serrai

$70 4.6% 10.4% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $335 in Serrai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 40% 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 in Lisbon vs $33 in Serrai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $246 per month, with Serrai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇷 Serrai

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

03:36 3:36 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

56,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Serrai 2,780 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 Serrai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,506 in Serrai, so Serrai is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $335 in Serrai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $334 in Serrai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Serrai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

It comes down to priorities – Serrai wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.