Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Torshavn

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,504 in Torshavn, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. The total is higher in Torshavn despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Torshavn
Learn more

Torshavn Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Torshavn

🇫🇴 Faroe Islands

$2,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Torshavn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,504 in Torshavn.

Lisbon $2,223
Torshavn $2,504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,918 in Torshavn.

Lisbon $3,271
Torshavn $3,918

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $5,331 in Torshavn.

Lisbon $4,319
Torshavn $5,331

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 11% less than in Torshavn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Torshavn 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$26.03 FOK 173

-36.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$147 FOK 975

-58.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$19.59 FOK 130

-42.47%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$7.02 FOK 46.67

-56.41%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.27 FOK 21.77

-30.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.68 FOK 17.80

-35.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$9.26 FOK 61.6

-63.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$8.87 FOK 59.0

-61.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.22 FOK 14.76

-49.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$4.81 FOK 32.00

-61.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.03 FOK 20.12

-49.50%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$6.49 FOK 43.15

-38.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$16.36 FOK 109

-22.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$14.30 FOK 95.1

-44.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$17.71 FOK 118

-4.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.96 FOK 26.34

-42.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$5.41 FOK 35.96

-67.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$6.07 FOK 40.37

-69.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$5.19 FOK 34.49

-50.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.56 FOK 23.69

-47.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$4.50 FOK 29.95

-55.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.35 FOK 22.27

-57.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$3.83 FOK 25.46

-78.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$11.06 FOK 73.6

-40.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$13.63 FOK 90.7

-58.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$4.18 FOK 27.80

-69.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.04 FOK 20.24

-31.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$29.71 FOK 198

48.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$14.86 FOK 98.8

-73.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.78 FOK 11.83

28.09%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

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

$39.3K €35.0K

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

$167 €149

$126 FOK 836

33.18%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$42.61 FOK 283

-55.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$88.7 FOK 590

-62.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$55.8 FOK 371

-17.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$16.28 FOK 108

-39.56%

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

$677 €602

$481 FOK 3,196

40.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$137 FOK 913

-26.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$60.0 FOK 399

-23.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$164 FOK 1,088

-38.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$244 FOK 1,624

-49.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,102 FOK 7,325

46.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$885 FOK 5,887

35.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,896 FOK 12.6K

50.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,356 FOK 9,015

46.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,620 FOK 30.7K

64.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$4,573 FOK 30.4K

-5.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$3,246 FOK 21.6K

-51.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Torshavn: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Torshavn

$885 35.3% 26% $312

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Torshavn

$518 20.7% 92.2% $248

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Torshavn

$439 17.5% 81.3% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Torshavn

$257 10.3% 17.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Torshavn

$272 10.9% 63.7% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Torshavn

$88 3.5% 34.5% $23

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Torshavn

$45 * 1.8% 29.3% $18

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,102 in Torshavn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Torshavn pays 104% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $147 in Torshavn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $518 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇴 Torshavn

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

14,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Faroese Króna FOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 FOK = 0.15 USD

1 FOK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Torshavn 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Torshavn

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 Torshavn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Torshavn differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,504 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 104% lower in Torshavn. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,102 in Torshavn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $481 in Torshavn. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Torshavn. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,504 in Torshavn, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Torshavn. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 Torshavn 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Torshavn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.