Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Szczecinek

For one person, living is cheaper in Szczecinek: $1,475 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Szczecinek, Poland
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Szczecinek
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,475
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Szczecinek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,475 in Szczecinek.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Szczecinek $1,475

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,128 in Szczecinek.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Szczecinek $2,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,780 in Szczecinek.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Szczecinek $2,780

Living in Lisbon is roughly 50% more expensive than in Szczecinek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Szczecinek 8% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Szczecinek
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$11.46 zł 45.21
45.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$43.98 zł 173
40.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$8.70 zł 34.29
30.57%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$3.46 zł 13.63
-14.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$1.10 zł 4.32
108.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.84 zł 3.31
107.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$3.07 zł 12.09
10.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$1.44 zł 5.68
129.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Szczecinek
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.89 zł 3.50
30.34%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.19 zł 4.69
60.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.35 zł 5.33
11.85%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$3.48 zł 13.73
15.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$7.69 zł 30.33
68.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$6.10 zł 24.04
27.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$12.92 zł 51.0
37.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.23 zł 4.83
86.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.12 zł 4.43
54.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.64 zł 6.47
13.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$2.50 zł 9.87
3.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.78 zł 3.06
133.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.78 zł 3.09
152.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.27 zł 4.99
15.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.70 zł 2.76
2.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$5.73 zł 22.60
14.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$7.64 zł 30.11
-26.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.14 zł 4.50
19.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.42 zł 5.58
50.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Szczecinek
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$1.03 zł 4.07
126.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
$30.54 zł 120
46.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$2.30 zł 9.06
67.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.04 zł 4.12
2.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$11.32 zł 44.63
45.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.44 zł 5.68
52.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$31.1K zł 122.5K
10.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$28.4K zł 111.9K
36.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Szczecinek
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$295 zł 1,162
-45.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$7.67 zł 30.26
140.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$18.39 zł 72.5
78.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Szczecinek
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
$37.56 zł 148
18.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
$23.63 zł 93.2
-19.17%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$7.37 zł 29.07
30.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Szczecinek
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$205 zł 809
225.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$7,514 zł 29.6K
134.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Szczecinek
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$77.6 zł 306
31.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$37.62 zł 148
18.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$84.3 zł 332
16.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$109 zł 431
13.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Szczecinek
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
$541 zł 2,133
197.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$530 zł 2,091
124.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$1,031 zł 4,064
172.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
$852 zł 3,361
136.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
$2,714 zł 10.7K
188.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
$2,178 zł 8,590
110.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Szczecinek
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$1,255 zł 4,950
25.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.2
-8.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Szczecinek: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Szczecinek
$530 55.4% $660
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Szczecinek
$206 24.5% $67
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Szczecinek
$185 23.6% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Szczecinek
$321 51% $108
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Szczecinek
$139 16.2% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Szczecinek
$52 17.9% $11
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Szczecinek
$42 33.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $541 in Szczecinek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 25% 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 $44 in Szczecinek for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $206 per month, with Szczecinek cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇵🇱 Szczecinek
🕒 Local time
05:26 5:26 AM
06:26 6:26 AM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
39,705
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.94 PLN (1 PLN = 0.254 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Szczecinek 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Szczecinek

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 Szczecinek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Szczecinek?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,475 in Szczecinek, so Szczecinek is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Szczecinek?
Average pay runs 25% 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 Szczecinek?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $541 in Szczecinek. 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 Szczecinek?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $205 in Szczecinek. 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 32% 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 $1,475 in Szczecinek versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Szczecinek but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Szczecinek the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Szczecinek?
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 Szczecinek safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Szczecinek are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Szczecinek?
Expats usually find Szczecinek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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