Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,726 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sharjah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,726 in Sharjah.

Lisbon $2,210
Sharjah $1,726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,594 in Sharjah.

Lisbon $3,275
Sharjah $2,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,462 in Sharjah.

Lisbon $4,341
Sharjah $3,462

Living in Lisbon is roughly 28% more expensive than in Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sharjah 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$5.88 AED 21.58

183.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$32.16 AED 118

91.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.13 AED 29.87

39.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 AED 35.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 AED 34.12

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.12 AED 11.46

-4.81%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.75 AED 2.75

205.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.31 AED 1.15

461.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.59 AED 5.84

-27.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.20 AED 4.40

59.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.82 AED 6.70

-17.03%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.32 AED 12.20

21.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.65 AED 31.77

49.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$6.54 AED 24.01

18.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$11.46 AED 42.09

54.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.26 AED 8.28

1.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.75 AED 6.44

-1.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.32 AED 4.83

40.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.23 AED 4.50

110.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.08 AED 3.96

68.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.10 AED 4.06

79.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.42 AED 5.20

3.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.59 AED 2.18

22.03%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.45 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 AED 9.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 AED 9.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.57 AED 24.14

0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.12 AED 7.79

9.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$27.55 AED 101

62.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.61 AED 13.26

6.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.56 AED 2.07

91.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$12.03 AED 44.19

36.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.97 AED 3.58

126.80%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$44.1K AED 162.1K

-22.54%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$21.0K AED 77.1K

84.45%

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

$161 €144

$212 AED 779

-24.01%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$48.90 AED 180

-62.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$98.0 AED 360

-66.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$54.3 AED 199

-17.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$22.44 AED 82.4

-14.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$13.82 AED 50.8

-30.54%

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

$668 €598

$340 AED 1,250

96.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,356 AED 30.7K

110.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$58.8 AED 216

73.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$78.4 AED 288

-43.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$108 AED 396

-8.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$93.8 AED 344

31.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$816 AED 2,996

97.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$784 AED 2,879

51.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,831 AED 6,723

53.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,578 AED 5,795

27.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$7,442 AED 27.3K

5.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,551 AED 9,368

79.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,219 AED 8,149

-29.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.5

-14.44%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sharjah

$784 45.4% 34.1% $406

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sharjah

$193 11.2% 29.2% $79

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sharjah

$113 6.6% 53.4% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sharjah

$359 20.8% 69.1% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sharjah

$152 8.8% 8.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sharjah

$82 4.8% 28.5% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sharjah

$42 2.5% 32.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $816 in Sharjah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sharjah pays 41% 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 $32 in Sharjah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $193 per month, with Sharjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

05:06 5:06 AM

4 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,400,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sharjah 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,726 in Sharjah, so Sharjah is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% 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 $816 in Sharjah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $340 in Sharjah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Sharjah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Sharjah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Sharjah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sharjah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.