Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Smolensk

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolensk: $1,090 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Smolensk
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Smolensk Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Smolensk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Smolensk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,090 in Smolensk.

Lisbon $2,210
Smolensk $1,090

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,727 in Smolensk.

Lisbon $3,275
Smolensk $1,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,364 in Smolensk.

Lisbon $4,341
Smolensk $2,364

Living in Lisbon is roughly 103% more expensive than in Smolensk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Smolensk is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$10.07 ₽811

65.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$38.94 ₽3,136

58.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$7.24 ₽583

56.91%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.49 ₽200

19.28%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.08 ₽86.8

112.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.67 ₽54.1

159.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.02 ₽163

68.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.16 ₽255

4.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.16 ₽93.1

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.74 ₽60.0

158.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.39 ₽112

8.63%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.57 ₽126

156.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$11.58 ₽933

11.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$5.52 ₽445

40.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$11.73 ₽945

51.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.75 ₽141

31.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.91 ₽154

-9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.80 ₽145

3.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.87 ₽231

-9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.83 ₽67.1

119.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.60 ₽47.98

228.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.19 ₽95.8

23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.75 ₽60.2

-4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.07 ₽247

114.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$8.86 ₽714

-36.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.16 ₽93.7

17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.37 ₽191

-9.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.57 ₽45.82

308.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$26.18 ₽2,108

70.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.20 ₽178

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.34 ₽27.20

214.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$5.31 ₽428

209.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.82 ₽65.6

168.29%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$51.3K ₽4.1M

-33.37%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$35.2K ₽2.8M

10.06%

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

$161 €144

$123 ₽9,877

31.46%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$6.08 ₽490

202.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$8.49 ₽684

285.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$36.59 ₽2,947

21.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$22.48 ₽1,811

-15.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.13 ₽574

34.64%

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

$668 €598

$348 ₽28.0K

91.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,371 ₽593.6K

138.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$81.4 ₽6,557

25.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$49.52 ₽3,988

-10.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$123 ₽9,891

-19.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$99.5 ₽8,012

24.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$483 ₽38.9K

233.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$339 ₽27.3K

251.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$990 ₽79.8K

183.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$668 ₽53.8K

201.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$2,278 ₽183.5K

244.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,650 ₽132.8K

177.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$777 ₽62.6K

102.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

21.45

-82.05%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Smolensk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Smolensk

$339 31.1% 71.5% $851

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Smolensk

$216 19.8% 20.7% $56

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Smolensk

$156 14.3% 35.9% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Smolensk

$137 12.6% 35.4% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Smolensk

$159 14.6% 4.2% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Smolensk

$51 4.7% 20.2% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Smolensk

$32 3% 48.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $483 in Smolensk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2 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 $39 in Smolensk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $216 per month, with Smolensk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇺 Smolensk

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

325,495

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Lisbon Smolensk 3,540 km ≈ 5 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.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Smolensk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,090 in Smolensk, so Smolensk is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2 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 $483 in Smolensk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $348 in Smolensk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,090 in Smolensk versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Smolensk but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Smolensk 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 Smolensk are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Smolensk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.