Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Szolnok

For one person, living is cheaper in Szolnok: $1,098 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Szolnok, Hungary
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Szolnok
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,098
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Szolnok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,098 in Szolnok.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Szolnok $1,098

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,684 in Szolnok.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Szolnok $1,684

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,270 in Szolnok.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Szolnok $2,270

Living in Lisbon is roughly 101% more expensive than in Szolnok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Szolnok is 19% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Szolnok
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.92
$9.47 Ft 3,101
75.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$46.52 Ft 15.2K
32.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.18
$8.12 Ft 2,659
39.90%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$2.36 Ft 773
25.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$1.92 Ft 630
19.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.21 Ft 395
43.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$2.55 Ft 836
33.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.71 Ft 886
22.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Szolnok
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.95 Ft 310
22.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.23 Ft 403
55.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.58 Ft 518
-4.43%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$3.05 Ft 997
31.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$7.33 Ft 2,399
76.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.97
$6.53 Ft 2,137
18.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.92
$13.49 Ft 4,415
31.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.50 Ft 490
53.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.70 Ft 556
1.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.52 Ft 497
22.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$2.39 Ft 782
8.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.64 Ft 208
184.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.72 Ft 235
173.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.03 Ft 336
42.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.37 Ft 122
94.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$6.69 Ft 2,189
-1.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$3.60 Ft 1,177
55.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$0.89 Ft 291
52.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.27 Ft 417
68.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Szolnok
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$1.05 Ft 343
121.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.04
$25.83 Ft 8,456
72.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$2.96 Ft 970
30.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$2.25 Ft 737
-52.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.75
$14.69 Ft 4,810
12.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.79 Ft 585
22.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$27.5K Ft 9.0M
24.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$35.8K Ft 11.7M
8.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Szolnok
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$128 Ft 41.9K
26.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.50
$29.03 Ft 9,504
-36.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.34
$22.08 Ft 7,229
48.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Szolnok
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.92
$41.65 Ft 13.6K
6.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.11
$18.19 Ft 5,954
5.00%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$3.22 Ft 1,053
198.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Szolnok
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$152 Ft 49.9K
337.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$4,885 Ft 1.6M
260.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Szolnok
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$81.7 Ft 26.8K
24.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.85
$50.3 Ft 16.5K
-11.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.3
$88.4 Ft 28.9K
11.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$116 Ft 38.1K
6.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Szolnok
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,441
$403 Ft 131.8K
299.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$319 Ft 104.3K
273.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,520
$638 Ft 209.0K
340.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,804
$497 Ft 162.8K
304.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,025
$1,994 Ft 652.8K
293.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,100
$1,629 Ft 533.4K
180.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Szolnok
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$1,046 Ft 342.3K
50.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
7.69
-49.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Szolnok: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Szolnok
$319 73.2% $871
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Szolnok
$197 27.6% $75
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Szolnok
$159 34.4% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Szolnok
$179 15.7% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Szolnok
$152 8.6% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Szolnok
$48 24.6% $16
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Szolnok
$44 30% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $403 in Szolnok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 51% 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 $47 in Szolnok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $197 per month, with Szolnok cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇭🇺 Szolnok
🕒 Local time
02:23 2:23 AM
03:23 3:23 AM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
66,426
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Szolnok 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Szolnok

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 Szolnok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Szolnok?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,098 in Szolnok, so Szolnok is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Szolnok?
Average pay runs 51% 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 Szolnok?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $403 in Szolnok. 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 Szolnok?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $152 in Szolnok. 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 38% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Szolnok is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Szolnok?
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 Szolnok safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Szolnok are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Szolnok?
Expats usually find Szolnok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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