Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zadar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zadar: $1,696 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zadar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,696 in Zadar.

Lisbon $2,202
Zadar $1,696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,573 in Zadar.

Lisbon $3,274
Zadar $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,450 in Zadar.

Lisbon $4,346
Zadar $3,450

Living in Lisbon is roughly 30% more expensive than in Zadar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zadar 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$14.51 €12.91

17.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$79.2 €70.4

-21.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$7.68 €6.84

43.49%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.53 €2.25

23.32%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.93 €2.61

-22.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.11 €1.88

-17.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.46 €3.08

-1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.58 €4.07

-18.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.12 €1.00

4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.70 €1.51

9.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.02 €2.68

-49.01%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.83 €3.41

6.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$10.88 €9.68

18.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.51 €8.46

-16.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.16 €10.81

45.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.89 €1.68

19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.57 €1.40

11.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.07 €1.84

-8.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.59 €2.31

-1.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.21 €1.96

-16.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.33 €1.18

48.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.32 €1.17

9.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.21 €1.07

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.66 €5.04

18.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$8.07 €7.17

-29.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.38 €1.23

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.48 €1.31

42.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.75 €1.55

32.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$43.98 €39.12

1.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.28 €2.92

20.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.23 €1.98

-52.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$22.02 €19.59

-22.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.81 €1.61

20.99%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$26.5K €23.6K

27.33%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$24.8K €22.0K

54.54%

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

$164 €146

$182 €162

-9.86%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$22.19 €19.74

-16.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$40.87 €36.35

-19.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$56.0 €49.79

-18.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$16.74 €14.89

11.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$10.66 €9.48

-8.54%

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

$684 €608

$247 €220

176.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$6,857 €6,099

157.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$89.3 €79.4

16.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$35.91 €31.94

28.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$104 €92.9

-4.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$79.1 €70.3

57.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$898 €799

76.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$686 €610

70.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,445 €1,285

97.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,116 €993

78.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,649 €4,135

67.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$4,028 €3,583

9.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,412 €1,256

13.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.54

8.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zadar: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Zadar

$686 40.4% 41.3% $483

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Zadar

$267 15.8% 2.1% $5.6

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Zadar

$216 12.8% 12.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Zadar

$245 14.4% 13.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Zadar

$139 8.2% 17.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Zadar

$77 4.6% 18.2% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zadar

$65 3.9% 3.9% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $898 in Zadar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 13% 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 $79.0 in Zadar. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $267, with Zadar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇭🇷 Zadar

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

67,309

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Zadar 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Zadar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zadar differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,696 including rent). Zadar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% 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 $898 in Zadar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $247 in Zadar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,696 in Zadar versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Zadar but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zadar 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 Zadar 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 Zadar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.