Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Wakayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,265 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Wakayama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,265 in Wakayama.

Lisbon $2,210
Wakayama $1,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,078 in Wakayama.

Lisbon $3,275
Wakayama $2,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,890 in Wakayama.

Lisbon $4,341
Wakayama $2,890

Living in Lisbon is roughly 75% more expensive than in Wakayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Wakayama is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$6.32 ¥998

163.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$32.23 ¥5,089

91.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$5.22 ¥824

117.62%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.61 ¥412

13.79%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.30 ¥205

76.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.95 ¥150

83.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.12 ¥493

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.89 ¥298

75.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.52 ¥240

-23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.54 ¥243

24.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.06 ¥641

-62.81%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.21 ¥348

81.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$15.58 ¥2,460

-16.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$6.93 ¥1,095

12.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$16.97 ¥2,680

4.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$8.61 ¥1,359

-73.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.99 ¥472

-42.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$5.15 ¥813

-63.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$7.67 ¥1,211

-66.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.91 ¥617

-53.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$4.57 ¥721

-56.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.18 ¥186

24.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.94 ¥148

-23.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.87 ¥611

70.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$9.65 ¥1,524

-41.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.52 ¥398

-46.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.11 ¥333

1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.61 ¥254

44.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$63.7 ¥10.1K

-29.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.22 ¥509

19.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.93 ¥462

-63.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$15.82 ¥2,498

4.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.10 ¥174

100.00%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

54.25%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

157.84%

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

$161 €145

$118 ¥18.6K

36.52%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$23.84 ¥3,764

-22.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$31.84 ¥5,027

2.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$49.43 ¥7,804

-9.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$12.61 ¥1,991

-23.87%

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

$668 €600

$685 ¥108.2K

-2.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

17.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$50.3 ¥7,942

102.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$35.61 ¥5,622

24.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$60.8 ¥9,593

62.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$99.4 ¥15.7K

24.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$475 ¥75.0K

238.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$311 ¥49.1K

282.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,147 ¥181.0K

145.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$810 ¥127.8K

148.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$4,633 ¥731.5K

69.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,252 ¥355.6K

103.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,949 ¥623.5K

-60.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

1.67

130.54%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Wakayama: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Wakayama

$311 24.6% 73.9% $879

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Wakayama

$381 30.1% 39.9% $109

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Wakayama

$126 10% 48.1% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Wakayama

$174 13.7% 18.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Wakayama

$111 8.8% 33.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Wakayama

$75 5.9% 17.1% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Wakayama

$88 7% 39.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $475 in Wakayama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wakayama pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $32 in Wakayama. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $381, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🕒 Local time

20:29 8:29 PM

05:29 5:29 AM

9 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

362,163

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Lisbon Wakayama 11,110 km ≈ 14 h 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 Wakayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,265 in Wakayama, so Wakayama is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $475 in Wakayama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $685 in Wakayama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,265 in Wakayama versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Wakayama but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Wakayama 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.