Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Vaasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Vaasa: $1,868 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Vaasa
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Vaasa Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Vaasa

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Vaasa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,868 in Vaasa.

Lisbon $2,202
Vaasa $1,868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,778 in Vaasa.

Lisbon $3,274
Vaasa $2,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,687 in Vaasa.

Lisbon $4,346
Vaasa $3,687

Living in Lisbon is roughly 18% more expensive than in Vaasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Vaasa 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$15.62 €13.90

9.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$85.3 €75.9

-26.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.00 €8.90

10.20%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.90 €4.36

-36.33%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$4.11 €3.65

-44.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$3.89 €3.46

-55.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$8.17 €7.27

-58.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$8.91 €7.93

-58.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.59 €1.41

-26.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.18 €2.83

-41.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.16 €3.70

-62.98%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.60 €3.20

12.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.85 €7.88

45.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$12.06 €10.72

-34.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$21.49 €19.12

-17.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.65 €2.35

-14.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.29 €2.04

-23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.83 €2.51

-33.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.57 €4.06

-43.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.30 €1.16

42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.90 €1.69

3.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.84 €2.53

-48.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$3.76 €3.35

-79.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$14.68 €13.06

-54.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$12.43 €11.06

-54.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.93 €2.61

-53.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.00 €3.55

-47.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.10 €1.87

10.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$39.91 €35.50

11.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$11.88 €10.56

-66.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.36 €1.21

-22.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$91.0 €81.0

-81.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.11 €1.87

3.79%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$36.8K €32.7K

-8.13%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$33.8K €30.0K

13.28%

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

$164 €146

$256 €228

-36.07%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$36.89 €32.82

-49.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$38.15 €33.93

-13.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$39.55 €35.18

15.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$17.72 €15.77

5.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$14.36 €12.78

-32.10%

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

$684 €608

$423 €376

61.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$81.7 €72.6

27.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$22.20 €19.75

108.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$66.7 €59.3

49.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$126 €112

-1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$734 €653

116.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$561 €499

108.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,039 €924

174.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$794 €707

150.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,721 €2,420

186.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,220 €1,975

99.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,640 €3,237

-56.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.27

-26.94%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Vaasa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Vaasa

$561 30% 52.1% $609

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Vaasa

$403 21.6% 47.6% $130

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Vaasa

$305 16.3% 23.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Vaasa

$331 17.7% 53.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Vaasa

$134 7.2% 20.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Vaasa

$68 3.7% 4.5% $2.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Vaasa

$67 3.6% 6.5% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $734 in Vaasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vaasa pays 127% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $85.0 in Vaasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $403 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇮 Vaasa

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

70,374

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Vaasa 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Vaasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Vaasa differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,868 including rent). Vaasa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 127% lower in Vaasa. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $734 in Vaasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $423 in Vaasa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 48% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,868 in Vaasa versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Vaasa but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Vaasa 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 Vaasa 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 Vaasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.