Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and The Pearl-Qatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,635 in The Pearl-Qatar, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in The Pearl-Qatar outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in The Pearl-Qatar
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The Pearl-Qatar Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

The Pearl-Qatar

🇶🇦 Qatar

$2,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in The Pearl-Qatar

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 The Pearl-Qatar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,635 in The Pearl-Qatar.

Lisbon $2,206
The Pearl-Qatar $2,635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $3,938 in The Pearl-Qatar.

Lisbon $3,276
The Pearl-Qatar $3,938

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $5,241 in The Pearl-Qatar.

Lisbon $4,346
The Pearl-Qatar $5,241

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 16% less than in The Pearl-Qatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, The Pearl-Qatar 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$9.54 QAR 34.72

76.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$71.1 QAR 259

-14.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$8.00 QAR 29.14

37.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.03 QAR 43.78

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.45 QAR 48.95

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$5.35 QAR 19.48

-42.99%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.96 QAR 3.49

137.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.43 QAR 1.56

290.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.55 QAR 5.64

-25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.44 QAR 5.26

31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.80 QAR 6.55

-16.67%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.54 QAR 9.26

62.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$6.71 QAR 24.41

93.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$8.00 QAR 29.10

0.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$11.61 QAR 42.25

54.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.31 QAR 8.41

-1.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.82 QAR 6.62

-4.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.61 QAR 5.86

13.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.19 QAR 4.34

126.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.92 QAR 3.36

92.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.93 QAR 3.37

108.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.38 QAR 5.01

5.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.51 QAR 1.85

49.02%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.37 QAR 34.09

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 QAR 7.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 QAR 8.05

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$6.43 QAR 23.39

3.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.57 QAR 2.07

303.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$31.04 QAR 113

41.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.90 QAR 6.92

109.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.53 QAR 1.92

20.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$9.45 QAR 34.41

100.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.57 QAR 2.09

300.00%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$15.7K QAR 57.0K

113.04%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$15.0K QAR 54.5K

157.12%

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

$158 €141

$91.8 QAR 334

72.41%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$31.01 QAR 113

-43.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$74.9 QAR 272

-58.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$174 QAR 634

-74.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

$36.54 QAR 133

-48.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$11.52 QAR 41.93

-16.84%

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

$674 €599

$733 QAR 2,667

-8.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$10.4K QAR 37.8K

80.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$59.0 QAR 215

73.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$49.90 QAR 182

-8.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$79.7 QAR 290

28.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$84.8 QAR 309

43.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$2,198 QAR 8,002

-25.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$1,716 QAR 6,245

-30.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$4,365 QAR 15.9K

-35.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$3,055 QAR 11.1K

-33.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$7,453 QAR 27.1K

5.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$5,398 QAR 19.6K

-12.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

$7,386 QAR 26.9K

-77.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.29

-10.96%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for The Pearl-Qatar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

The Pearl-Qatar

$1.7K 65.1% 44.5% $528

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

The Pearl-Qatar

$193 7.3% 29.6% $81

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

The Pearl-Qatar

$170 6.5% 30.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

The Pearl-Qatar

$198 7.5% 4.5% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

The Pearl-Qatar

$123 4.7% 26.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

The Pearl-Qatar

$197 7.5% 209% $133

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

The Pearl-Qatar

$38 1.4% 37.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $2,198 in The Pearl-Qatar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Pearl-Qatar pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $71 in The Pearl-Qatar. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $193, with The Pearl-Qatar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇶🇦 The Pearl-Qatar

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

05:37 5:37 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon The Pearl-Qatar 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
The Pearl-Qatar

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 The Pearl-Qatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,635 in The Pearl-Qatar, so Lisbon is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $2,198 in The Pearl-Qatar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $733 in The Pearl-Qatar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in The Pearl-Qatar pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 The Pearl-Qatar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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