Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zalaegerszeg

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalaegerszeg: $1,079 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Zalaegerszeg
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,079
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zalaegerszeg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Zalaegerszeg $1,079

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,632 in Zalaegerszeg.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Zalaegerszeg $1,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,185 in Zalaegerszeg.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Zalaegerszeg $2,185

Living in Lisbon is roughly 106% more expensive than in Zalaegerszeg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Zalaegerszeg is 20% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Zalaegerszeg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.71
$13.95 Ft 4,522
18.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.6
$61.5 Ft 19.9K
-0.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.05
$9.40 Ft 3,046
19.89%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.73
$2.99 Ft 968
2.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.02
$2.05 Ft 663
10.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$1.29 Ft 418
34.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$1.97 Ft 639
72.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.03
$2.03 Ft 659
67.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Zalaegerszeg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.19 Ft 384
-5.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.49 Ft 481
24.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.37
$2.50 Ft 810
-38.80%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.53
$3.46 Ft 1,120
14.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.38
$11.38 Ft 3,688
12.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.04
$5.85 Ft 1,895
35.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.13
$12.48 Ft 4,045
35.98%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.84 Ft 597
23.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$2.05 Ft 663
-14.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.65
$2.03 Ft 657
-8.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.29
$4.01 Ft 1,298
-35.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.04 Ft 339
78.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$1.00 Ft 323
102.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.33 Ft 432
8.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$0.55 Ft 177
49.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.85
$7.83 Ft 2,538
-16.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.01
$6.17 Ft 2,001
-8.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
$1.12 Ft 364
14.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$2.09 Ft 677
-0.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Zalaegerszeg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$1.14 Ft 370
106.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.39
$18.30 Ft 5,930
141.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.56
$3.41 Ft 1,104
17.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.25 Ft 404
-12.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.84
$20.06 Ft 6,502
-17.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.80 Ft 583
26.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$28.6K Ft 9.3M
17.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$33.8K Ft 11.0M
16.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Zalaegerszeg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$144 Ft 46.6K
16.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.76
$23.83 Ft 7,724
-21.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.50
$23.45 Ft 7,599
41.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Zalaegerszeg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €41.02
$38.51 Ft 12.5K
19.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.11
$36.86 Ft 11.9K
-47.94%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.77
$7.45 Ft 2,416
32.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Zalaegerszeg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €604
$216 Ft 70.1K
212.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$17.0K Ft 5.5M
-0.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Zalaegerszeg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.3
$29.98 Ft 9,718
237.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.80
$24.66 Ft 7,994
85.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €89.2
$51.0 Ft 16.5K
96.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$55.7 Ft 18.1K
120.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Zalaegerszeg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,439
$332 Ft 107.5K
386.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,067
$286 Ft 92.8K
318.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,551
$454 Ft 147.0K
530.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,774
$311 Ft 100.9K
539.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,756
$1,818 Ft 589.3K
316.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,840
$1,519 Ft 492.2K
183.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Zalaegerszeg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,416
$762 Ft 247.0K
108.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
6.45
-40.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zalaegerszeg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Zalaegerszeg
$286 76.1% $911
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Zalaegerszeg
$240 10.9% $29
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Zalaegerszeg
$203 16.2% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Zalaegerszeg
$191 12.9% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Zalaegerszeg
$73 56.4% $94
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Zalaegerszeg
$53 18.7% $12
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Zalaegerszeg
$33 48.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $332 in Zalaegerszeg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 108% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $61.0 in Zalaegerszeg. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $240, with Zalaegerszeg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇭🇺 Zalaegerszeg
🕒 Local time
17:19 5:19 PM
18:19 6:19 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
55,152
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Zalaegerszeg 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Zalaegerszeg

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 Zalaegerszeg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Zalaegerszeg?
Lisbon and Zalaegerszeg differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,079 including rent). Zalaegerszeg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Zalaegerszeg?
Average pay runs 108% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Zalaegerszeg?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $332 in Zalaegerszeg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Zalaegerszeg?
Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $216 in Zalaegerszeg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zalaegerszeg but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zalaegerszeg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Zalaegerszeg?
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.
Is Lisbon or Zalaegerszeg safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Zalaegerszeg are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Zalaegerszeg?
Expats usually find Zalaegerszeg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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