Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tunis

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunis: $857 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Tunis, Tunisia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Tunis
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$857
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tunis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $857 in Tunis.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Tunis $857

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,321 in Tunis.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Tunis $1,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,786 in Tunis.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Tunis $1,786

Living in Lisbon is roughly 158% more expensive than in Tunis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Tunis is 37% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Tunis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.96
$5.09 TND 15.33
227.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$22.52 TND 67.9
174.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$6.08 TND 18.31
86.84%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$1.15 TND 3.46
158.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$0.83 TND 2.49
175.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.36 TND 1.08
383.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$1.68 TND 5.05
102.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.63 TND 7.92
25.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Tunis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.48 TND 1.44
141.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$0.35 TND 1.05
445.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.69 TND 5.08
-10.65%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$1.76 TND 5.31
128.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$10.06 TND 30.29
28.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.99
$6.03 TND 18.16
28.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.96
$18.32 TND 55.2
-3.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$2.09 TND 6.31
10.05%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$6.30 TND 18.97
-72.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$1.25 TND 3.75
48.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$0.80 TND 2.40
223.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$0.83 TND 2.51
119.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$0.65 TND 1.97
203.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.51 TND 1.53
188.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.33 TND 1.00
118.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.92
$3.56 TND 10.74
84.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$6.48 TND 19.52
-13.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.23 TND 3.70
10.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$1.52 TND 4.58
40.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Tunis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$0.32 TND 0.95
628.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$15.70 TND 47.28
184.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$0.31 TND 0.93
1141.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.29 TND 0.87
268.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$1.77 TND 5.33
829.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$0.87 TND 2.62
152.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$38.6K TND 116.1K
-11.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$35.8K TND 107.8K
8.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Tunis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$59.3 TND 179
171.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$8.52 TND 25.67
116.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$21.30 TND 64.2
53.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Tunis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.03
$33.70 TND 102
32.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$12.51 TND 37.67
52.68%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$5.84 TND 17.59
64.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Tunis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$107 TND 323
523.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$3,179 TND 9,577
454.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Tunis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.7
$44.74 TND 135
128.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.95
$61.0 TND 184
-27.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$102 TND 308
-3.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$81.5 TND 246
51.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Tunis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$385 TND 1,161
317.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$256 TND 771
365.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,527
$654 TND 1,970
330.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,809
$418 TND 1,260
381.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,043
$1,478 TND 4,452
430.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,111
$794 TND 2,392
476.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Tunis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$360 TND 1,083
337.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
10.65
-63.85%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tunis: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Tunis
$256 78.5% $934
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Tunis
$227 16.8% $46
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Tunis
$91 62.5% $152
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Tunis
$89 58% $123
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Tunis
$130 21.5% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Tunis
$45 28.8% $18
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Tunis
$19 70.4% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $385 in Tunis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $23 in Tunis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $227 per month, with Tunis cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇳 Tunis
🕒 Local time
11:03 11:03 AM
12:03 12:03 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
728,453 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Tunis 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Tunis

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 Tunis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Tunis?
Lisbon and Tunis differ by about 158% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $857 including rent). Tunis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Tunis?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 4.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Tunis?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $385 in Tunis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Tunis?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $107 in Tunis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $857 in Tunis versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tunis but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tunis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Tunis?
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.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Tunis?
Expats usually find Tunis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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