Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sfax

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfax: $623 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Sfax, Tunisia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Sfax
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$623
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sfax

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $623 in Sfax.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Sfax $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $978 in Sfax.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Sfax $978

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,333 in Sfax.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Sfax $1,333

Living in Lisbon is roughly 255% more expensive than in Sfax, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Sfax is 54% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Sfax
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$3.31 TND 9.98
403.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$19.75 TND 59.5
212.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$4.90 TND 14.78
131.84%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$0.68 TND 2.05
336.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$0.62 TND 1.87
269.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.27 TND 0.82
544.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$1.60 TND 4.83
112.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$1.94 TND 5.86
70.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Sfax
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.45 TND 1.37
157.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$0.22 TND 0.66
768.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.30 TND 3.91
16.15%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$1.57 TND 4.72
156.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$12.26 TND 36.93
5.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$5.69 TND 17.14
36.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$13.72 TND 41.34
29.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$1.76 TND 5.31
30.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$3.13 TND 9.44
-44.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$1.08 TND 3.26
72.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$0.69 TND 2.09
275.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$0.82 TND 2.46
121.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$0.82 TND 2.48
140.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.57 TND 1.71
157.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.31 TND 0.94
132.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$3.64 TND 10.97
80.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$6.82 TND 20.53
-17.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.18 TND 3.54
15.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$1.04 TND 3.12
105.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Sfax
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$0.19 TND 0.57
1126.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$9.76 TND 29.40
357.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$0.31 TND 0.93
1141.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.32 TND 0.96
234.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$7.22 TND 21.75
127.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$0.86 TND 2.58
155.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$36.9K TND 111.1K
-7.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$35.1K TND 105.8K
10.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Sfax
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$44.15 TND 133
265.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$9.56 TND 28.80
92.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$14.48 TND 43.63
126.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Sfax
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$27.22 TND 82.0
63.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$7.30 TND 22.00
161.64%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$4.50 TND 13.56
113.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Sfax
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$95.6 TND 288
598.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$2,459 TND 7,406
616.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Sfax
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$42.96 TND 129
137.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$35.66 TND 107
24.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$111 TND 335
-11.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$65.3 TND 197
89.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Sfax
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$190 TND 573
744.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$135 TND 406
783.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$330 TND 993
752.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$216 TND 650
833.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$986 TND 2,970
695.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$741 TND 2,233
517.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Sfax
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$330 TND 994
377.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
13.6
-71.69%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sfax: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Sfax
$135 88.7% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Sfax
$192 29.6% $81
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Sfax
$65 73.3% $178
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Sfax
$68 67.9% $144
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Sfax
$115 30.8% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Sfax
$36 43.2% $28
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Sfax
$12 80.3% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $190 in Sfax. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $20 in Sfax for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $192 per month, with Sfax cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇳 Sfax
🕒 Local time
22:11 10:11 PM
23:11 11:11 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
955,421
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Sfax 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Sfax

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 Sfax: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Sfax?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $623 in Sfax, so Sfax is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Sfax?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 4.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Sfax?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $190 in Sfax. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Sfax?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $96 in Sfax. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $623 in Sfax versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sfax but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sfax the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Sfax?
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.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Sfax?
Expats usually find Sfax gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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