Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sfantu Gheorghe

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfantu Gheorghe: $806 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Sfantu Gheorghe
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Sfantu Gheorghe Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Sfantu Gheorghe

🇷🇴 Romania

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sfantu Gheorghe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $806 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

Lisbon $2,206
Sfantu Gheorghe $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,290 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

Lisbon $3,276
Sfantu Gheorghe $1,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,773 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

Lisbon $4,346
Sfantu Gheorghe $1,773

Living in Lisbon is roughly 174% more expensive than in Sfantu Gheorghe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Sfantu Gheorghe is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.04

$8.25 RON 39.34

104.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.5

$42.14 RON 201

44.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.80

$7.37 RON 35.14

48.98%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$2.48 RON 11.81

22.98%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$1.23 RON 5.88

85.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.04 RON 4.95

61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$2.53 RON 12.07

35.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.09 RON 9.95

87.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.42 RON 6.75

-19.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.17 RON 5.59

61.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.39 RON 6.61

7.91%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$3.29 RON 15.68

25.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.60

$8.08 RON 38.52

61.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.18

$4.49 RON 21.38

79.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$8.08 RON 38.49

121.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.03 RON 4.92

120.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.48 RON 7.05

17.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.21 RON 5.79

50.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.54 RON 12.11

5.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.71 RON 3.38

149.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.65 RON 3.09

198.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.99 RON 4.70

47.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.74 RON 3.53

2.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.94

$4.75 RON 22.64

40.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$7.24 RON 34.52

-22.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.96 RON 4.57

34.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.08 RON 5.14

98.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.88 RON 4.19

161.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

$15.50 RON 73.9

184.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$0.91 RON 4.32

337.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.88 RON 4.17

-27.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.88

$9.16 RON 43.66

106.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.55 RON 7.40

47.10%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$28.5K RON 135.8K

17.11%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$25.8K RON 122.9K

49.34%

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

$158 €141

$114 RON 545

38.39%

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

$17.54 €15.64

$9.20 RON 43.83

90.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.82

$12.38 RON 59.0

151.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.82

$40.46 RON 193

10.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

$20.66 RON 98.5

-8.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.54

$3.21 RON 15.30

198.44%

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

$674 €601

$447 RON 2,133

50.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$10.2K RON 48.6K

83.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.2

$26.06 RON 124

292.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.94

$13.55 RON 64.6

238.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.2

$39.24 RON 187

160.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$61.7 RON 294

97.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,463

$287 RON 1,369

471.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,059

$207 RON 986

473.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,519

$533 RON 2,542

429.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,800

$395 RON 1,884

410.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,989

$1,875 RON 8,937

317.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,193

$1,321 RON 6,294

255.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,505

$689 RON 3,282

145.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.75

-43.41%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sfantu Gheorghe: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$207 25.7% 82.6% $980

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$185 22.9% 32.7% $90

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$144 17.9% 41.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$136 16.9% 34.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$63 7.9% 62.2% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$47 5.8% 26.5% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Sfantu Gheorghe

$24 3% 59.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $287 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.5 times 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 in Lisbon vs $42 in Sfantu Gheorghe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $185 per month, with Sfantu Gheorghe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Sfantu Gheorghe

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

06:44 6:44 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

56,006

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Sfantu Gheorghe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $806 in Sfantu Gheorghe, so Sfantu Gheorghe is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.5 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $287 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $447 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $806 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sfantu Gheorghe but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sfantu Gheorghe 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 Sfantu Gheorghe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sfantu Gheorghe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.