Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zabol

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabol: $516 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Zabol, Iran
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Zabol
🇮🇷 Iran
$516
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zabol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $516 in Zabol.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Zabol $516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $822 in Zabol.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Zabol $822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,127 in Zabol.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Zabol $1,127

Living in Lisbon is roughly 328% more expensive than in Zabol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Zabol
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$2.06 $2.06
708.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$15.80 $15.80
290.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$3.45 $3.45
229.28%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.52 $0.52
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.95 $0.95
-
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$0.48 $0.48
518.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$0.49 $0.49
367.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.88 $0.88
97.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Zabol
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.66 $0.66
75.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$0.47 $0.47
306.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.97 $1.97
-23.35%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$1.23 $1.23
226.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$4.54 $4.54
185.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$3.17 $3.17
145.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$11.69 $11.69
51.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$0.99 $0.99
132.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$1.48 $1.48
16.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$0.85 $0.85
118.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$0.59 $0.59
338.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$0.53 $0.53
243.40%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$0.51 $0.51
286.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.58 $0.58
153.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.24 $0.24
200.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$0.90 $0.90
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.49 $0.49
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.35 $1.35
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$2.78 $2.78
136.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Zabol
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$0.13 $0.13
1692.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$8.85 $8.85
404.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$0.40 $0.40
862.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.30 $0.30
256.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$2.33 $2.33
606.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$0.10 $0.10
2100.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$54.9K $54.9K
-37.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$40.4K $40.4K
-4.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Zabol
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$11.33 $11.33
1322.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$1.47 $1.47
1152.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$3.34 $3.34
880.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Zabol
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$21.29 $21.29
109.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$13.39 $13.39
42.64%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$1.76 $1.76
445.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Zabol
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$111 $111
502.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$2,063 $2,063
753.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Zabol
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$23.16 $23.16
340.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$28.90 $28.90
53.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$99.8 $99.8
-1.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$75.4 $75.4
64.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Zabol
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$286 $286
462.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$207 $207
473.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$784 $784
258.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$356 $356
465.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$1,145 $1,145
584.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$538 $538
750.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Zabol
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$147 $147
970.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
24.3
-84.16%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zabol: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Zabol
$207 82.6% $983
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Zabol
$117 57.2% $156
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Zabol
$38 84.3% $205
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Zabol
$16 92.4% $196
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Zabol
$102 38.4% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Zabol
$25 61.1% $39
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Zabol
$11 82.2% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $286 in Zabol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $16 in Zabol for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $117 per month, with Zabol cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇮🇷 Zabol
🕒 Local time
13:02 1:02 PM
16:32 4:32 PM
3 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
140,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Zabol 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Zabol

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 Zabol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Zabol?
Lisbon and Zabol differ by about 328% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $516 including rent). Zabol is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Zabol?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 11 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 Zabol?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $286 in Zabol. 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 Zabol?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $111 in Zabol. 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 134% 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 $516 in Zabol versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zabol but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zabol the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Zabol?
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 Zabol?
Expats usually find Zabol gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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