Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Shumen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $913 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Shumen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $913 in Shumen.

Lisbon $2,210
Shumen $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,422 in Shumen.

Lisbon $3,275
Shumen $1,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,931 in Shumen.

Lisbon $4,341
Shumen $1,931

Living in Lisbon is roughly 142% more expensive than in Shumen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Shumen is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$9.14 BGN 15.99

82.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$34.66 BGN 60.7

78.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$9.14 BGN 15.99

24.29%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.69 BGN 2.96

75.74%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.43 BGN 2.50

60.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.07 BGN 1.87

62.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.95 BGN 5.15

15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.89 BGN 5.06

14.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.84 BGN 3.23

-36.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.08 BGN 1.89

76.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.57 BGN 4.49

-41.25%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.85 BGN 4.98

41.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.11 BGN 15.94

42.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$5.11 BGN 8.95

52.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$8.86 BGN 15.51

100.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.52 BGN 2.66

51.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.17 BGN 3.80

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.30 BGN 4.02

12.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.05 BGN 3.59

-11.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.25 BGN 2.20

57.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.88 BGN 1.53

67.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-6.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.67 BGN 6.41

79.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.00 BGN 12.25

-19.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.97 BGN 1.69

40.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.47 BGN 2.57

45.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.88 BGN 1.54

164.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$26.12 BGN 45.72

71.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.76 BGN 3.07

118.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.53 BGN 0.93

101.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.59 BGN 2.78

38.36%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$30.9K BGN 54.1K

10.59%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$22.3K BGN 39.1K

73.38%

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

$161 €144

$133 BGN 232

21.51%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$17.68 BGN 30.94

4.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$16.94 BGN 29.64

93.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$38.15 BGN 66.8

16.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$11.41 BGN 19.97

67.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.04 BGN 12.32

36.36%

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

$668 €598

$561 BGN 982

18.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.5K BGN 18.4K

67.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$47.91 BGN 83.8

112.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$51.6 BGN 90.4

-13.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$94.2 BGN 165

4.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$60.6 BGN 106

104.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$263 BGN 460

511.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$180 BGN 315

562.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$427 BGN 748

558.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$334 BGN 584

503.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$1,231 BGN 2,154

536.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$997 BGN 1,744

359.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,024 BGN 1,792

53.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.25

18.46%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shumen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Shumen

$180 19.7% 84.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Shumen

$214 23.4% 21.6% $59

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Shumen

$151 16.6% 37.6% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Shumen

$167 18.3% 21.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Shumen

$114 12.5% 31% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Shumen

$52 5.7% 18% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Shumen

$34 3.7% 46.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $263 in Shumen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 54% 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 $35 in Shumen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $214 per month, with Shumen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Shumen

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

20:21 8:21 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

85,504

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Shumen 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Shumen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $913 in Shumen, so Shumen is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Lisbon, 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 $263 in Shumen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $561 in Shumen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $913 in Shumen versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shumen but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Shumen 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 Shumen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Shumen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.