Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Shimla

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $310 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Shimla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $310 in Shimla.

Lisbon $2,210
Shimla $310

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $504 in Shimla.

Lisbon $3,275
Shimla $504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $698 in Shimla.

Lisbon $4,341
Shimla $698

Living in Lisbon is roughly 613% more expensive than in Shimla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Shimla is 77% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$1.56 ₹148

967.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$10.47 ₹994

489.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$3.09 ₹294

267.64%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$0.92 ₹87.1

222.83%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.34 ₹32.11

573.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.11 ₹10.39

1481.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.64 ₹156

107.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.07 ₹196

59.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.67 ₹64.0

73.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.42 ₹40.24

354.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.63 ₹60.2

139.68%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$0.89 ₹84.8

351.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$4.33 ₹411

198.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$3.18 ₹302

144.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.87 ₹178

22.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.76 ₹71.9

127.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.63 ₹60.0

195.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.48 ₹45.38

439.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.30 ₹28.64

506.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.36 ₹34.25

447.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.22 ₹20.93

568.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.27 ₹25.55

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.38 ₹321

94.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$8.57 ₹813

-34.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.54 ₹147

-11.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.04 ₹194

4.90%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.80 ₹361

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.22 ₹20.92

959.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$7.84 ₹745

469.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.07 ₹102

259.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.34 ₹31.84

214.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$1.02 ₹97.2

1513.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.09 ₹104

101.83%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$8,462 ₹803.4K

304.05%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$18.1K ₹1.7M

114.36%

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

$161 €144

$18.17 ₹1,725

787.29%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$3.13 ₹297

488.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$7.02 ₹667

366.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$13.85 ₹1,315

221.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$10.63 ₹1,009

79.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$3.07 ₹291

212.70%

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

$668 €598

$42.11 ₹3,998

1485.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,173 ₹206.3K

710.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$24.76 ₹2,351

312.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$21.97 ₹2,086

102.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$39.31 ₹3,732

150.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$26.41 ₹2,507

368.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$86.4 ₹8,198

1762.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$53.3 ₹5,060

2133.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$199 ₹18.9K

1313.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$125 ₹11.9K

1511.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$563 ₹53.4K

1293.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$563 ₹53.4K

713.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$612 ₹58.1K

157.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.25

-53.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shimla: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Shimla

$53 17.2% 95.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Shimla

$99 32.1% 63.5% $173

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Shimla

$47 15.1% 80.7% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Shimla

$28 9.1% 86.7% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Shimla

$51 16.3% 69.5% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Shimla

$20 6.5% 68.6% $44

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Shimla

$11 3.7% 81.9% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $86 in Shimla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.6 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $10 in Shimla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $99 per month, with Shimla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇳 Shimla

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

16:38 4:38 PM

5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

170,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Shimla 7,620 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Shimla

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 Shimla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $310 in Shimla, so Shimla is about 86% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.6 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 $86 in Shimla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $42 in Shimla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 174% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $310 in Shimla versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shimla but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Shimla 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 Shimla are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Shimla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.