Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Svishtov

For one person, living is cheaper in Svishtov: $928 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Svishtov
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Svishtov Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Svishtov

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Svishtov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $928 in Svishtov.

Lisbon $2,206
Svishtov $928

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,445 in Svishtov.

Lisbon $3,276
Svishtov $1,445

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,961 in Svishtov.

Lisbon $4,346
Svishtov $1,961

Living in Lisbon is roughly 138% more expensive than in Svishtov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Svishtov is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$13.26 BGN 23.20

27.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$43.92 BGN 76.9

38.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$8.35 BGN 14.61

31.50%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$2.32 BGN 4.06

31.47%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.06 BGN 1.85

115.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$0.56 BGN 0.98

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$1.74 BGN 3.05

97.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$2.79 BGN 4.88

40.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.45 BGN 2.54

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.88 BGN 1.54

114.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.67 BGN 2.93

-10.18%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.67 BGN 4.68

54.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$9.66 BGN 16.91

34.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$5.23 BGN 9.14

53.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$8.81 BGN 15.42

103.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.46 BGN 2.56

55.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.12 BGN 1.95

55.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.11 BGN 1.95

63.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.26 BGN 3.96

19.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.71 BGN 1.25

149.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.48 BGN 0.84

304.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.55 BGN 0.96

165.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.60 BGN 1.05

26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$3.52 BGN 6.15

89.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$6.82 BGN 11.94

-17.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.04 BGN 1.81

24.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.11 BGN 1.94

92.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

$0.87 BGN 1.53

164.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

$25.60 BGN 44.79

71.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.41 BGN 2.46

182.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.66 BGN 1.16

-3.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$11.89 BGN 20.82

59.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$1.43 BGN 2.50

59.44%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$29.6K BGN 51.9K

12.64%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$23.3K BGN 40.8K

65.29%

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

$158 €141

$103 BGN 180

53.76%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$14.16 BGN 24.78

23.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$8.59 BGN 15.04

262.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$31.36 BGN 54.9

42.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

$16.61 BGN 29.08

14.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$8.37 BGN 14.64

14.46%

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

$674 €598

$228 BGN 400

194.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$5,922 BGN 10.4K

216.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$50.9 BGN 89.2

100.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$25.39 BGN 44.43

80.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$70.2 BGN 123

45.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$69.2 BGN 121

76.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$333 BGN 583

392.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$258 BGN 451

360.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$541 BGN 947

422.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$401 BGN 702

402.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

$1,308 BGN 2,289

499.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

$1,079 BGN 1,888

335.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$1,261 BGN 2,207

33.74%

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 Svishtov: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Svishtov

$258 27.8% 78.3% $929

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Svishtov

$186 20% 32.4% $89

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Svishtov

$180 19.4% 26.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Svishtov

$126 13.5% 39.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Svishtov

$97 10.5% 42% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Svishtov

$48 5.2% 24.6% $16

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Svishtov

$34 3.6% 44% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $333 in Svishtov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 34% 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 $44 in Svishtov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $186 per month, with Svishtov cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Svishtov

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

33,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Svishtov 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min 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 Svishtov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $928 in Svishtov, so Svishtov is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $333 in Svishtov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $228 in Svishtov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Svishtov are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Svishtov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.