Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Targu Jiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Jiu: $966 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
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Targu Jiu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Targu Jiu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $966 in Targu Jiu.

Lisbon $2,210
Targu Jiu $966

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,502 in Targu Jiu.

Lisbon $3,275
Targu Jiu $1,502

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,038 in Targu Jiu.

Lisbon $4,341
Targu Jiu $2,038

Living in Lisbon is roughly 129% more expensive than in Targu Jiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Targu Jiu is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$14.60 RON 70.2

14.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$57.6 RON 277

7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.24 RON 34.80

56.91%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.56 RON 17.10

-16.57%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.02 RON 4.93

124.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.21 RON 10.64

-21.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.67 RON 17.66

-7.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.23 RON 20.32

-21.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.67 RON 8.03

-30.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.28 RON 6.17

49.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.77 RON 8.49

-14.69%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.75 RON 13.21

46.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$7.41 RON 35.63

74.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$2.91 RON 13.99

167.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$6.95 RON 33.40

155.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.91 RON 4.38

152.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.49 RON 7.17

16.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.17 RON 5.60

58.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.22 RON 5.84

112.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.83 RON 3.97

119.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.74 RON 3.54

166.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.61 RON 2.92

140.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.50 RON 2.40

44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$5.21 RON 25.02

26.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$3.00 RON 14.42

87.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.82 RON 3.93

65.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.07 RON 5.16

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.65 RON 3.12

492.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.61 RON 2.93

75.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$6.39 RON 30.69

157.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.93 RON 9.30

13.99%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$28.8K RON 138.4K

18.77%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$25.9K RON 124.3K

49.75%

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

$161 €145

$196 RON 943

-17.87%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$6.01 RON 28.87

206.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$9.32 RON 44.78

251.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$31.49 RON 151

41.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.34 RON 40.08

15.11%

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

$668 €600

$676 RON 3,247

-1.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$14.3K RON 68.8K

23.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$49.38 RON 237

106.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$25.42 RON 122

74.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$51.7 RON 248

90.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$84.2 RON 405

46.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$353 RON 1,698

355.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$233 RON 1,119

411.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$478 RON 2,295

488.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$403 RON 1,937

399.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,555 RON 12.3K

206.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$518 RON 2,490

203.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.75

-42.96%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Targu Jiu: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Targu Jiu

$233 24.1% 80.4% $957

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Targu Jiu

$154 16% 43.4% $118

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Targu Jiu

$221 22.9% 8.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Targu Jiu

$212 21.9% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Targu Jiu

$95 9.8% 42.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Targu Jiu

$48 5% 24.4% $16

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Targu Jiu

$3.7 * 0.4% 94.1% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $353 in Targu Jiu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $58 in Targu Jiu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $154 per month, with Targu Jiu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

20:50 8:50 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

82,504

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Targu Jiu 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Targu Jiu

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 Targu Jiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Targu Jiu differ by about 129% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $966 including rent). Targu Jiu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3 times higher, 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 $353 in Targu Jiu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $966 in Targu Jiu – a 129% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Targu Jiu 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.

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