Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sousse

For one person, living is cheaper in Sousse: $779 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Sousse
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$779
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sousse

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $779 in Sousse.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Sousse $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,261 in Sousse.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Sousse $1,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,743 in Sousse.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Sousse $1,743

Living in Lisbon is roughly 183% more expensive than in Sousse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Sousse is 43% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Sousse
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$4.90 TND 14.67
247.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$23.60 TND 70.7
163.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$6.75 TND 20.22
63.26%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$1.10 TND 3.29
183.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$0.73 TND 2.19
210.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.38 TND 1.12
357.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$1.72 TND 5.14
98.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$1.66 TND 4.98
125.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Sousse
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$0.44 TND 1.32
165.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$0.13 TND 0.40
1330.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.24 TND 3.71
24.19%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$1.61 TND 4.82
152.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$13.70 TND 41.05
-5.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$5.80 TND 17.37
36.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$13.98 TND 41.87
26.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.02 TND 6.05
11.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$3.49 TND 10.46
-49.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$1.02 TND 3.07
85.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$0.69 TND 2.06
271.01%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$0.87 TND 2.62
112.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$0.69 TND 2.05
185.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$0.43 TND 1.30
237.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.33 TND 0.97
133.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$3.76 TND 11.25
78.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$5.98 TND 17.90
-5.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.03 TND 3.08
33.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$1.13 TND 3.39
86.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Sousse
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$0.33 TND 0.99
603.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
$9.88 TND 29.60
349.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$0.34 TND 1.03
1061.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$0.69 TND 2.08
52.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$4.00 TND 11.98
328.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$0.81 TND 2.43
170.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$40.3K TND 120.6K
-16.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$36.8K TND 110.1K
4.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Sousse
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$75.1 TND 225
118.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$13.68 TND 40.97
35.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$19.58 TND 58.6
68.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Sousse
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$28.10 TND 84.2
63.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
$26.30 TND 78.8
-28.97%
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$6.54 TND 19.59
49.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Sousse
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$92.6 TND 277
639.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$3,228 TND 9,667
446.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Sousse
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$52.6 TND 158
97.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$70.9 TND 212
-34.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$149 TND 447
-33.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$99.4 TND 298
25.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Sousse
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$241 TND 721
560.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$161 TND 483
625.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$512 TND 1,533
456.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$346 TND 1,037
475.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$978 TND 2,929
696.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$621 TND 1,859
611.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Sousse
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
$380 TND 1,139
320.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
11.4
-66.23%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sousse: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Sousse
$161 86.2% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Sousse
$197 27.9% $76
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Sousse
$89 64% $159
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Sousse
$108 49.6% $107
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Sousse
$167 0.6% $1
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Sousse
$41 37% $24
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Sousse
$15 76.1% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $241 in Sousse. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 321% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $24.00 in Sousse for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $197 per month, with Sousse cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇳 Sousse
🕒 Local time
18:44 6:44 PM
18:44 6:44 PM
Same time as Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
221,530
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Sousse 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Sousse

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 Sousse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Sousse?
Lisbon and Sousse differ by about 183% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $779 including rent). Sousse is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Sousse?
Average pay runs 321% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Sousse?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $241 in Sousse. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Sousse?
Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $92.6 in Sousse. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $779 in Sousse versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sousse but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sousse the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Sousse?
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.
Is Lisbon or Sousse safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Sousse are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Sousse?
Expats usually find Sousse gentler on the wallet – expenses run 183% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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