Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Smolyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolyan: $723 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Smolyan
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Smolyan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Smolyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Smolyan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $723 in Smolyan.

Lisbon $2,206
Smolyan $723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,156 in Smolyan.

Lisbon $3,276
Smolyan $1,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,589 in Smolyan.

Lisbon $4,346
Smolyan $1,589

Living in Lisbon is roughly 205% more expensive than in Smolyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Smolyan is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$6.38 BGN 11.17

164.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$37.37 BGN 65.4

63.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$5.79 BGN 10.14

89.64%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$1.32 BGN 2.32

131.06%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.07 BGN 1.87

113.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.78 BGN 1.36

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.72 BGN 3.02

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.18 BGN 3.81

79.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.75 BGN 3.06

-34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.93 BGN 1.63

103.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.73 BGN 3.03

-13.29%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$3.37 BGN 5.89

22.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$10.22 BGN 17.89

27.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$5.73 BGN 10.03

40.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$8.63 BGN 15.11

107.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.13 BGN 1.98

100.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.73 BGN 3.02

0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.15 BGN 2.01

58.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.31 BGN 4.05

16.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.17 BGN 2.05

51.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.49 BGN 2.60

30.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.93 BGN 1.63

56.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.60 BGN 1.05

26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$3.40 BGN 5.94

95.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.55 BGN 9.72

1.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.60 BGN 1.04

115.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.67 BGN 2.92

28.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.88 BGN 1.54

161.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$32.36 BGN 56.6

36.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.30 BGN 2.28

206.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.59 BGN 1.04

8.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$12.19 BGN 21.33

55.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.54 BGN 2.69

48.05%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$23.1K BGN 40.4K

44.54%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$23.4K BGN 40.9K

64.61%

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

$158 €141

$100 BGN 175

58.11%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$14.39 BGN 25.18

21.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$9.26 BGN 16.21

236.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$21.86 BGN 38.26

104.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

$16.71 BGN 29.25

13.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$7.64 BGN 13.38

25.39%

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

$674 €599

$230 BGN 402

193.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$5,915 BGN 10.4K

216.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$28.19 BGN 49.33

262.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$21.01 BGN 36.77

118.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$58.9 BGN 103

73.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$62.8 BGN 110

94.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$202 BGN 353

713.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$141 BGN 247

740.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$290 BGN 507

875.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$238 BGN 417

747.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$1,302 BGN 2,279

501.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$1,091 BGN 1,910

330.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

$694 BGN 1,215

143.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.25

17.54%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Smolyan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Smolyan

$141 19.5% 88.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Smolyan

$199 27.6% 27.4% $75

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Smolyan

$105 14.5% 57.3% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Smolyan

$124 17.1% 40.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Smolyan

$77 10.6% 54.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Smolyan

$37 5.1% 41.8% $27

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Smolyan

$40 5.6% 33.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $202 in Smolyan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.4 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: $61 in Lisbon vs $37 in Smolyan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $199 per month, with Smolyan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Smolyan

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

11:32 11:32 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

30,507

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Smolyan 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Smolyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $723 in Smolyan, so Smolyan is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.4 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $202 in Smolyan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $230 in Smolyan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $723 in Smolyan versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Smolyan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Smolyan 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 Smolyan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Smolyan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.