Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zabljak

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabljak: $1,128 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Zabljak
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Zabljak Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Zabljak

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zabljak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,128 in Zabljak.

Lisbon $2,202
Zabljak $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,769 in Zabljak.

Lisbon $3,274
Zabljak $1,769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,410 in Zabljak.

Lisbon $4,346
Zabljak $2,410

Living in Lisbon is roughly 95% more expensive than in Zabljak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Zabljak is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$7.95 €7.08

114.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$31.82 €28.30

95.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$6.55 €5.82

68.24%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.63 €1.45

91.41%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.24 €2.00

1.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.45 €1.29

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.00 €2.66

14.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.54 €3.15

5.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.27 €1.13

-7.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.65 €0.57

186.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.31 €1.17

17.56%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.97 €2.64

36.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$7.08 €6.30

82.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.22 €6.42

9.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.23 €10.88

44.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.32 €1.17

71.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.67 €1.49

4.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.51 €1.34

25.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.41 €1.26

81.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.65 €0.58

184.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.70 €0.62

181.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.91 €0.81

59.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.96 €0.86

-19.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.01 €3.57

67.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$4.41 €3.92

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.07 €0.95

28.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.73 €1.54

21.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.63 €1.45

42.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$39.55 €35.18

12.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.14 €1.02

246.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.64 €0.57

64.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$17.00 €15.12

0.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.77 €1.57

23.73%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$29.3K €26.1K

15.22%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$25.6K €22.7K

49.72%

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

$164 €146

$113 €101

44.68%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$15.02 €13.36

23.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$22.02 €19.58

49.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$46.30 €41.18

-0.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$14.72 €13.10

26.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$6.21 €5.53

57.00%

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

$684 €608

$392 €349

74.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$9,812 €8,728

79.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$22.65 €20.15

358.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$27.47 €24.43

68.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$55.0 €48.89

81.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$67.7 €60.2

84.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$645 €573

146.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$455 €405

157.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,277 €1,135

123.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$937 €834

112.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,324 €2,956

134.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,357 €2,097

87.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$801 €713

99.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.95

-35.29%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zabljak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Zabljak

$455 40.3% 61.1% $714

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Zabljak

$196 17.4% 28.1% $77

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Zabljak

$140 12.4% 43.5% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Zabljak

$150 13.3% 30.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Zabljak

$78 6.9% 53.8% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Zabljak

$59 5.2% 10.2% $6.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zabljak

$50 4.5% 19.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $645 in Zabljak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 100% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $32.00 in Zabljak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $196 per month, with Zabljak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇪 Zabljak

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Zabljak 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 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 Zabljak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zabljak differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,128 including rent). Zabljak is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 100% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $645 in Zabljak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $392 in Zabljak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,128 in Zabljak versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zabljak but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zabljak 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 Zabljak 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 Zabljak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.