Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sharm El Sheikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $442 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$442

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $442 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Lisbon $2,210
Sharm El Sheikh $442

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $674 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Lisbon $3,275
Sharm El Sheikh $674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $905 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Lisbon $4,341
Sharm El Sheikh $905

Living in Lisbon is roughly 400% more expensive than in Sharm El Sheikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Sharm El Sheikh is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$21.07 E£1,180

193.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$4.46 E£249

154.71%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.17 E£122

36.87%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.33 E£18.71

593.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.51 E£28.57

241.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.46 E£194

-1.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.36 E£244

-24.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.83 E£46.19

39.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.42 E£23.72

259.52%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.08 E£60.4

272.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$3.46 E£193

124.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.39 E£77.8

65.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.45 E£25.39

284.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.42 E£23.78

342.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.26 E£14.42

896.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.06 E£115

219.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.39 E£78.0

-2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.08 E£4.38

2812.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.43 E£24.08

411.63%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$29.6K E£1.7M

15.34%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$20.4K E£1.1M

89.90%

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

$161 €144

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

$18.41 €16.50

$10.80 E£605

70.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$27.30 E£1,528

19.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

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

$668 €598

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$337 E£18.8K

377.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$284 E£15.9K

319.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$588 E£32.9K

378.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$506 E£28.3K

297.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$950 E£53.2K

724.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$663 E£37.1K

590.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$141 E£7,910

1014.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

26.5

-85.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $337 in Sharm El Sheikh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $21 in Sharm El Sheikh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $51 per month, with Sharm El Sheikh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

38,478

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.97 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.31 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sharm El Sheikh 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

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Lisbon vs Sharm El Sheikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $442 in Sharm El Sheikh, so Sharm El Sheikh is about 80% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 11 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $337 in Sharm El Sheikh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh – a meal for two runs $21 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $442 in Sharm El Sheikh – Sharm El Sheikh is about 80% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $442 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sharm El Sheikh but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sharm El Sheikh 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 Sharm El Sheikh are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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