Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Soroca

For one person, living is cheaper in Soroca: $391 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 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

Soroca

🇲🇩 Moldova

$391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Soroca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $391 in Soroca.

Lisbon $2,210
Soroca $391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $634 in Soroca.

Lisbon $3,275
Soroca $634

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $876 in Soroca.

Lisbon $4,341
Soroca $876

Living in Lisbon is roughly 465% more expensive than in Soroca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Soroca is 71% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$11.11 MDL 198

49.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$22.66 MDL 404

172.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$4.62 MDL 82.4

145.89%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.44 MDL 25.60

106.25%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.76 MDL 13.52

201.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.43 MDL 7.73

304.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.15 MDL 20.53

195.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.42 MDL 25.29

133.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.03 MDL 18.42

12.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.36 MDL 6.35

430.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.15 MDL 20.45

31.30%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.89 MDL 33.68

112.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.00 MDL 35.62

-13.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.62 MDL 11.05

193.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.51 MDL 9.05

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.13 MDL 20.21

240.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.75 MDL 31.14

25.71%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$20.8K MDL 371.7K

85.77%

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

$161 €144

$59.5 MDL 1,061

170.82%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$8.27 MDL 147

122.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$13.10 MDL 234

149.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$28.54 MDL 509

56.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$3.44 MDL 61.3

179.07%

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

$33.45 MDL 596

204.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$33.93 MDL 605

31.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$108 MDL 1,923

-8.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$33.93 MDL 605

264.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$507 MDL 9,048

210.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Soroca: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Soroca

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Soroca

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Soroca

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Soroca

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Soroca

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Soroca

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Soroca

–

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays about 3.1 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 $23 in Soroca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $46 per month, with Soroca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇩 Soroca

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

07:13 7:13 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

37,400

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.85 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Soroca 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Soroca

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 Soroca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $391 in Soroca, so Soroca is about 82% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Dining out is cheaper in Soroca – a meal for two runs $23 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 $391 in Soroca – Soroca is about 82% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $391 in Soroca versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Soroca but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Soroca 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.

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