Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zakho

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $725 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zakho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $725 in Zakho.

Lisbon $2,210
Zakho $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,158 in Zakho.

Lisbon $3,275
Zakho $1,158

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,591 in Zakho.

Lisbon $4,341
Zakho $1,591

Living in Lisbon is roughly 205% more expensive than in Zakho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Zakho is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$4.18 IQD 6,310

298.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$36.97 IQD 55.9K

67.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

59.10%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.21 IQD 4,856

-7.48%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.83 IQD 1,256

175.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.33 IQD 506

427.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.65 IQD 8,535

-39.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.94 IQD 5,960

-15.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.10 IQD 1,669

5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.68 IQD 1,023

180.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.50 IQD 2,271

0.67%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.58 IQD 2,382

154.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$6.88 IQD 10.4K

88.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$4.26 IQD 6,440

82.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$12.69 IQD 19.2K

39.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.98 IQD 1,484

134.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.94 IQD 1,414

84.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.02 IQD 1,536

82.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.65 IQD 986

298.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.61 IQD 920

198.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.59 IQD 895

233.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.61 IQD 926

140.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.51 IQD 775

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.18 IQD 3,300

201.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

-48.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.46 IQD 2,213

-6.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.81 IQD 2,737

18.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.29 IQD 439

703.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.68 IQD 2,546

129.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.61 IQD 2,440

-33.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$5.65 IQD 8,531

191.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.59 IQD 886

272.88%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

107.66%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$17.1K IQD 25.8M

126.69%

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

$161 €144

$115 IQD 173.5K

40.41%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

50.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$24.28 IQD 36.7K

34.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$39.56 IQD 59.8K

12.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

-1.54%

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

$668 €598

$298 IQD 450.7K

123.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,742 IQD 4.1M

542.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$26.56 IQD 40.1K

284.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$19.78 IQD 29.9K

124.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$49.59 IQD 74.9K

98.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$39.81 IQD 60.1K

210.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$207 IQD 313.3K

675.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$136 IQD 205.0K

777.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$370 IQD 558.5K

660.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$319 IQD 482.7K

530.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$888 IQD 1.3M

782.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$551 IQD 833.0K

729.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$660 IQD 997.8K

138.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.53

52.17%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zakho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zakho

$136 18.7% 88.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zakho

$172 23.8% 36.8% $100

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zakho

$134 18.5% 44.7% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zakho

$151 20.9% 28.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zakho

$61 8.4% 63.2% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zakho

$59 8.2% 7.3% $4.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zakho

$11 * 1.5% 82.7% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $207 in Zakho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.4 times 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 in Lisbon vs $37 in Zakho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $172 per month, with Zakho cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇶 Zakho

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

23:18 11:18 PM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

197,163

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Zakho 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Zakho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $725 in Zakho, so Zakho is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $207 in Zakho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $725 in Zakho – Zakho is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $725 in Zakho versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zakho but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zakho 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 Zakho are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Zakho wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.