Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zakopane

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakopane: $1,518 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Zakopane
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Zakopane Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zakopane

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zakopane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,518 in Zakopane.

Lisbon $2,210
Zakopane $1,518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,260 in Zakopane.

Lisbon $3,275
Zakopane $2,260

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,001 in Zakopane.

Lisbon $4,341
Zakopane $3,001

Living in Lisbon is roughly 46% more expensive than in Zakopane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zakopane 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$8.30 zł 32.79

100.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$28.80 zł 114

114.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.38 zł 33.12

35.56%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.39 zł 13.41

-12.39%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.66 zł 10.53

-13.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.00 zł 7.89

-13.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.38 zł 9.40

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.66 zł 18.41

-28.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.90 zł 3.55

28.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.24 zł 4.92

54.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.30 zł 5.12

16.15%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.32 zł 9.18

73.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$6.48 zł 25.60

99.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.93 zł 19.48

57.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$5.41 zł 21.40

228.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.77 zł 3.05

198.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.45 zł 5.74

19.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.48 zł 5.84

25.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.62 zł 10.38

-1.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.31 zł 1.24

487.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.81 zł 3.21

143.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.60 zł 2.39

145.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.63 zł 2.50

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.37 zł 17.27

50.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$4.60 zł 18.19

21.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.05 zł 4.15

29.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.48 zł 5.86

44.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.24 zł 4.91

87.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$43.00 zł 170

3.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.51 zł 5.96

154.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.68 zł 2.68

57.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$5.12 zł 20.22

221.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.66 zł 6.57

32.53%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$30.9K zł 122.2K

10.62%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$23.7K zł 93.7K

63.40%

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

$161 €144

$247 zł 978

-34.84%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$7.77 zł 30.73

136.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$17.68 zł 69.9

85.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$8.87 zł 35.05

402.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$13.97 zł 55.2

36.72%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.48 zł 29.56

28.34%

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

$668 €598

$301 zł 1,192

121.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,287 zł 9,038

670.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$54.4 zł 215

87.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$18.86 zł 74.6

135.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$50.3 zł 199

96.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$46.66 zł 184

165.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$713 zł 2,816

125.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$762 zł 3,013

56.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,248 zł 4,932

125.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,532 zł 6,055

31.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$5,909 zł 23.4K

32.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$5,919 zł 23.4K

-22.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,550 zł 6,128

1.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.5

-40.77%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zakopane: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zakopane

$762 50.2% 36% $428

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zakopane

$158 10.4% 42.1% $115

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zakopane

$172 11.3% 29.1% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zakopane

$273 18% 28.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zakopane

$77 5.1% 53.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zakopane

$24 1.6% 62.6% $40

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zakopane

$53 3.5% 16.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $713 in Zakopane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $29 in Zakopane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $158 per month, with Zakopane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇱 Zakopane

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

26,662

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Zakopane 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Zakopane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,518 in Zakopane, so Zakopane is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,277 in Zakopane 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $713 in Zakopane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $301 in Zakopane. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Zakopane is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Zakopane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.