Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tulcea

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcea: $986 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
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Tulcea Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tulcea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $986 in Tulcea.

Lisbon $2,210
Tulcea $986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,559 in Tulcea.

Lisbon $3,275
Tulcea $1,559

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,132 in Tulcea.

Lisbon $4,341
Tulcea $2,132

Living in Lisbon is roughly 124% more expensive than in Tulcea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Tulcea is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$11.70 RON 56.2

42.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$46.31 RON 223

33.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.87 RON 37.83

44.35%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.07 RON 9.93

43.48%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.12 RON 10.17

8.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.06 RON 5.10

64.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.07 RON 9.95

64.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.04 RON 9.81

62.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.61 RON 7.75

-27.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.04 RON 4.99

83.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.44 RON 6.91

4.86%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.16 RON 15.17

27.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$7.51 RON 36.11

72.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$6.89 RON 33.10

12.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$9.10 RON 43.73

95.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.35 RON 6.48

70.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.64 RON 7.86

5.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.42 RON 6.84

30.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.99 RON 9.59

30.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.74 RON 3.54

145.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.70 RON 3.36

181.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.67 RON 3.24

119.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.77 RON 3.70

-6.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.42 RON 30.87

2.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.33 RON 30.44

-11.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.00 RON 4.83

36.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.42 RON 6.83

50.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.07 RON 5.14

117.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$17.84 RON 85.8

150.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.64 RON 3.09

501.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.62 RON 2.96

72.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$6.36 RON 30.57

158.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.74 RON 8.36

26.44%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$28.1K RON 135.1K

21.60%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$24.9K RON 119.6K

55.56%

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

$161 €145

$134 RON 643

20.48%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$7.76 RON 37.29

137.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$8.60 RON 41.32

280.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$31.52 RON 151

41.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$16.60 RON 79.8

15.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.32 RON 40.00

15.38%

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

$668 €600

$319 RON 1,532

109.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,187 RON 15.3K

452.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$52.0 RON 250

96.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$31.54 RON 152

40.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$91.1 RON 438

8.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$95.8 RON 460

29.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$343 RON 1,650

368.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$274 RON 1,315

334.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$585 RON 2,813

380.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$499 RON 2,397

303.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$990 RON 4,759

691.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$856 RON 4,112

434.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$648 RON 3,115

142.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.85

-43.80%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tulcea: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Tulcea

$274 27.8% 77% $916

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Tulcea

$197 20% 27.5% $75

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Tulcea

$169 17.2% 30.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Tulcea

$150 15.2% 29.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Tulcea

$122 12.3% 26.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Tulcea

$48 4.9% 24.4% $16

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Tulcea

$26 2.6% 59.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $343 in Tulcea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $46 in Tulcea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $197 per month, with Tulcea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

22:26 10:26 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

73,707

💱 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 Tulcea 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Tulcea

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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 Tulcea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $986 in Tulcea, so Tulcea is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.4 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 $343 in Tulcea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $319 in Tulcea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $986 in Tulcea versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tulcea but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tulcea 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 Tulcea are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tulcea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.