Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zagreb

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagreb: $1,772 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zagreb

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,772 in Zagreb.

Lisbon $2,210
Zagreb $1,772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,619 in Zagreb.

Lisbon $3,275
Zagreb $2,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,467 in Zagreb.

Lisbon $4,341
Zagreb $3,467

Living in Lisbon is roughly 25% more expensive than in Zagreb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zagreb 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.33 €11.05

35.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$63.9 €57.3

-3.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.01 €7.18

41.82%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.50 €2.24

18.80%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.09 €2.77

-25.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.62 €2.35

-33.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.42 €3.06

-0.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.51 €4.04

-26.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.27 €1.14

-8.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.60 €1.43

19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.68 €2.40

-43.66%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.95 €3.54

1.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$14.58 €13.07

-11.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$11.47 €10.28

-32.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$17.35 €15.55

2.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.31 €2.07

-0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.65 €1.48

4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.19 €1.96

-15.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.56 €2.30

1.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.36 €1.22

33.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.20 €1.08

64.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.19 €1.07

23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.29 €1.16

-44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.08 €5.45

8.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$11.07 €9.92

-49.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.69 €1.51

-19.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.46 €2.21

-13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.57 €0.51

308.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$53.2 €47.71

-16.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.18 €1.95

76.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.44 €1.29

-25.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$12.39 €11.10

32.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.90 €1.70

15.79%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.9K €25.0K

22.43%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.0K €23.3K

48.86%

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

$161 €144

$215 €193

-24.99%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$22.34 €20.02

-17.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$38.73 €34.70

-15.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$48.65 €43.60

-8.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$18.95 €16.98

0.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$10.41 €9.32

-7.78%

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

$668 €598

$499 €447

33.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$9,720 €8,710

81.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$109 €97.3

-6.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$42.23 €37.84

5.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$102 €91.7

-3.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$111 €99.0

11.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$888 €796

81.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$683 €612

74.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,468 €1,316

91.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,066 €956

88.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$5,275 €4,727

48.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$3,670 €3,288

24.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,975 €1,770

-20.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.3

16.67%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zagreb

$683 38.5% 42.6% $507

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zagreb

$314 17.7% 15.1% $41

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zagreb

$202 11.4% 16.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zagreb

$276 15.6% 30% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zagreb

$164 9.2% 1.4% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zagreb

$69 3.9% 9% $5.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zagreb

$65 3.7% 2.6% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $888 in Zagreb. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zagreb pays 25% 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 $64 in Zagreb for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $314 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

767,131 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Zagreb 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 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 Zagreb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,772 in Zagreb, so Zagreb is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% 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 $888 in Zagreb. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $499 in Zagreb. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Zagreb gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Zagreb are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.