Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tehran

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehran: $629 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tehran

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $629 in Tehran.

Lisbon $2,210
Tehran $629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,066 in Tehran.

Lisbon $3,275
Tehran $1,066

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,503 in Tehran.

Lisbon $4,341
Tehran $1,503

Living in Lisbon is roughly 251% more expensive than in Tehran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Tehran is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$3.45 $3.45

382.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$16.28 $16.28

279.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$4.09 $4.09

177.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 $0.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.32 $1.32

125.00%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.53 $0.53

332.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.72 $1.72

1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.71 $0.71

63.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.62 $0.62

208.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.34 $3.34

-54.79%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.26 $1.26

219.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$4.51 $4.51

186.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$3.36 $3.36

131.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$10.13 $10.13

75.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.38 $1.38

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.87 $1.87

-7.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.14 $1.14

63.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$0.64 $0.64

304.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.55 $0.55

230.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.47 $0.47

319.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.53 $0.53

177.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.30 $0.30

140.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 $0.79

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$2.53 $2.53

160.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.10 $0.10

2230.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$5.47 $5.47

716.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.52 $0.52

640.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.29 $0.29

268.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$3.09 $3.09

432.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.09 $0.09

2344.44%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$51.0K $51.0K

-32.90%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$45.1K $45.1K

-14.10%

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

$161 €145

$12.88 $12.88

1151.71%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$1.60 $1.60

1050.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$3.85 $3.85

750.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$24.27 $24.27

83.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$13.15 $13.15

45.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$1.95 $1.95

392.31%

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

$668 €600

$109 $109

515.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,557 $2,557

588.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$26.91 $26.91

279.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$37.60 $37.60

18.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$118 $118

-16.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$71.7 $71.7

72.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$430 $430

274.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$269 $269

342.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$961 $961

192.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$628 $628

220.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$1,268 $1,268

518.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$717 $717

537.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$211 $211

647.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

24.79

-84.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tehran: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Tehran

$269 42.8% 77.4% $921

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Tehran

$126 20.1% 53.6% $146

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Tehran

$65 10.3% 73.3% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Tehran

$18 2.9% 91.4% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Tehran

$114 18.2% 31.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Tehran

$28 4.5% 55.8% $36

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Tehran

$7.8 1.3% 87.6% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $430 in Tehran. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 7.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $16 in Tehran for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $126 per month, with Tehran cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇷 Tehran

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

13:34 1:34 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

8,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Tehran 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Tehran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Tehran differ by about 251% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $629 including rent). Tehran is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 7.5 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 $430 in Tehran. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $109 in Tehran. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 115% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $629 in Tehran versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tehran but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tehran 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.

Expats usually find Tehran gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.