Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zahlah

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $985 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
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Zahlah Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zahlah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $985 in Zahlah.

Lisbon $2,210
Zahlah $985

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,588 in Zahlah.

Lisbon $3,275
Zahlah $1,588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,191 in Zahlah.

Lisbon $4,341
Zahlah $2,191

Living in Lisbon is roughly 124% more expensive than in Zahlah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Zahlah is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$12.19 LBP 1.1M

36.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$68.8 LBP 6.2M

-10.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$9.95 LBP 890.4K

14.17%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.45 LBP 398.4K

-33.26%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.29 LBP 204.9K

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.89 LBP 80.0K

95.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.13 LBP 459.4K

-33.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.89 LBP 437.3K

-32.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.93 LBP 173.0K

-39.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.90 LBP 80.7K

112.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.17 LBP 194.5K

-30.41%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.65 LBP 326.5K

10.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$11.13 LBP 996.0K

16.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$10.40 LBP 930.4K

-25.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$14.93 LBP 1.3M

18.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.05 LBP 272.8K

-24.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.70 LBP 152.0K

1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.61 LBP 144.1K

15.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.53 LBP 136.9K

69.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.21 LBP 108.5K

50.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.56 LBP 139.6K

26.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.18 LBP 105.4K

24.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.68 LBP 61.3K

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.04 LBP 271.9K

116.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.86 LBP 972.1K

-48.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.27 LBP 113.9K

7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.46 LBP 219.9K

-13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.87 LBP 435.7K

-20.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.20 LBP 196.9K

-51.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$22.80 LBP 2.0M

-27.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.06 LBP 94.5K

107.55%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-35.87%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$33.3K LBP 3.0B

16.40%

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

$161 €144

$215 LBP 19.3M

-25.12%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$23.42 LBP 2.1M

-21.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$38.29 LBP 3.4M

-14.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$10.04 LBP 898.4K

-4.38%

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

$668 €598

$691 LBP 61.8M

-3.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.5K LBP 939.0M

67.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$66.4 LBP 5.9M

53.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$49.10 LBP 4.4M

-9.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$140 LBP 12.5M

-29.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$120 LBP 10.7M

3.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-65.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zahlah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zahlah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zahlah

$274 27.8% 0.6% $1.7

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zahlah

$229 23.3% 5.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zahlah

$277 28.1% 30.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zahlah

$169 17.2% 1.8% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zahlah

$20 * 2% 68.5% $44

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6% 74.9% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $69 in Zahlah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $274 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

78,145

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Zahlah 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Zahlah

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 Zahlah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $985 in Zahlah, so Zahlah is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,477 in Zahlah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $691 in Zahlah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $985 in Zahlah – Zahlah is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $985 in Zahlah versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zahlah but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zahlah 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 Zahlah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.