Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Targu Mures

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $938 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $938 in Targu Mures.

Lisbon $2,202
Targu Mures $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,461 in Targu Mures.

Lisbon $3,274
Targu Mures $1,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,984 in Targu Mures.

Lisbon $4,346
Targu Mures $1,984

Living in Lisbon is roughly 135% more expensive than in Targu Mures, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Targu Mures is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$9.12 RON 43.15

86.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$42.19 RON 200

47.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$8.00 RON 37.83

37.75%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.17 RON 10.27

43.78%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.44 RON 6.83

57.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.23 RON 5.83

41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.91 RON 9.04

79.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.26 RON 10.68

65.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.34 RON 6.34

-12.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.07 RON 5.07

73.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.45 RON 6.87

6.21%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.88 RON 13.65

40.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.00 RON 37.84

61.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$5.81 RON 27.47

35.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.08 RON 47.68

75.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.00 RON 4.72

126.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.33 RON 6.29

31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.39 RON 6.59

35.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.90 RON 9.00

34.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.77 RON 3.64

140.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.55 RON 2.61

258.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.80 RON 3.79

81.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.77 RON 3.64

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.84 RON 27.61

14.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.39 RON 34.98

-23.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.07 RON 5.06

28.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.55 RON 7.32

36.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.66 RON 3.11

251.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$25.06 RON 119

77.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$0.88 RON 4.14

348.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.85 RON 4.04

23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$7.47 RON 35.32

129.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.81 RON 8.55

20.99%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$28.1K RON 133.0K

20.19%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$25.3K RON 119.8K

51.13%

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

$164 €146

$101 RON 477

62.54%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$9.37 RON 44.35

97.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$8.19 RON 38.75

302.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$42.30 RON 200

8.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$18.38 RON 87.0

1.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$6.27 RON 29.67

55.50%

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

$684 €608

$1,330 RON 6,291

-48.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$52.3 RON 248

98.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$29.80 RON 141

55.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$76.7 RON 363

30.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$77.4 RON 366

61.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$415 RON 1,964

282.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$286 RON 1,355

308.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$650 RON 3,077

338.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$472 RON 2,232

322.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,238 RON 10.6K

248.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,487 RON 7,035

197.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$991 RON 4,687

61.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.47

-48.46%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Targu Mures: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Targu Mures

$286 30.5% 75.5% $883

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Targu Mures

$192 20.5% 29.7% $81

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Targu Mures

$148 15.8% 40.3% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Targu Mures

$118 12.6% 45% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Targu Mures

$106 11.3% 36.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Targu Mures

$55 5.8% 16.1% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Targu Mures

$33 3.5% 47.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $415 in Targu Mures. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 61% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $42.00 in Targu Mures for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $192 per month, with Targu Mures cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

134,290

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Targu Mures 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Targu Mures: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Targu Mures differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $938 including rent). Targu Mures is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 61% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $415 in Targu Mures. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $1,330 in Targu Mures. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $938 in Targu Mures versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Targu Mures but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Targu Mures the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Targu Mures are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Targu Mures gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.