Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Syros

For one person, living is cheaper in Syros: $1,533 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Syros
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Syros Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Syros

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Syros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,533 in Syros.

Lisbon $2,210
Syros $1,533

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,316 in Syros.

Lisbon $3,275
Syros $2,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,099 in Syros.

Lisbon $4,341
Syros $3,099

Living in Lisbon is roughly 44% more expensive than in Syros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Syros 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.82 €11.49

29.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$55.1 €49.36

12.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.08 €9.03

12.70%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.36 €3.01

-11.61%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.38 €2.13

-3.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.73 €0.66

138.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.57 €4.99

-38.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.20 €4.66

-36.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.78 €1.60

-34.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.43 €1.28

33.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.59 €2.33

-41.70%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.52 €4.05

-11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$15.50 €13.89

-16.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.43 €9.35

-25.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$14.96 €13.41

18.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.17 €1.95

5.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.05 €1.84

-15.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.34 €1.20

38.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.77 €1.58

46.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.19 €1.06

52.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.18 €1.05

66.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.89 €0.80

65.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.70 €0.63

2.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.98 €4.46

32.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$8.02 €7.19

-30.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.23 €2.00

-39.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.99 €2.68

-28.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.35 €1.21

72.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$53.2 €47.70

-16.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.44 €3.97

-13.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.10 €0.99

-2.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$5.48 €4.91

200.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.18 €1.95

0.92%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.8K €24.9K

23.05%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$24.1K €21.6K

60.84%

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

$161 €144

$194 €174

-16.83%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$25.45 €22.80

-27.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$27.57 €24.71

18.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$54.1 €48.46

-17.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$25.02 €22.42

-23.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.01 €8.07

6.55%

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

$668 €598

$391 €350

70.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,967 €3,555

343.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$88.9 €79.7

14.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$27.47 €24.62

61.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$84.2 €75.4

17.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$82.9 €74.3

49.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$577 €517

178.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$501 €449

137.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$995 €892

182.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$828 €742

143.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,662 €1,489

371.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,567 €1,404

192.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$966 €865

63.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.44

-13.29%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Syros: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Syros

$501 32.7% 57.9% $689

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Syros

$293 19.1% 7.5% $20

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Syros

$224 14.6% 7.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Syros

$247 16.1% 16.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Syros

$128 8.3% 23.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Syros

$72 4.7% 13.1% $8.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Syros

$69 4.5% 8.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $577 in Syros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $55 in Syros. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $293, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇷 Syros

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,138

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Syros 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Syros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,533 in Syros, so Syros is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $577 in Syros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $391 in Syros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Syros is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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