Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zalau

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalau: $863 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Zalau
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Zalau Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zalau

🇷🇴 Romania

$863

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zalau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $863 in Zalau.

Lisbon $2,210
Zalau $863

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,323 in Zalau.

Lisbon $3,275
Zalau $1,323

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,783 in Zalau.

Lisbon $4,341
Zalau $1,783

Living in Lisbon is roughly 156% more expensive than in Zalau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Zalau is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.87

$7.38 RON 35.20

125.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

$34.80 RON 166

77.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$5.36 RON 25.56

111.94%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.28 RON 10.86

30.26%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$1.46 RON 6.94

56.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.24 RON 5.91

40.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$1.93 RON 9.19

76.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.38 RON 11.36

39.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.38 RON 6.59

-15.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.07 RON 5.09

78.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.24 RON 5.93

21.77%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$1.98 RON 9.43

103.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.56

$7.89 RON 37.61

64.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$5.49 RON 26.16

41.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.86

$10.45 RON 49.81

69.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.82 RON 3.90

180.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.32 RON 6.30

31.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.46 RON 6.96

27.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.87 RON 8.90

38.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.66 RON 3.12

175.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.55 RON 2.62

258.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.64 RON 3.07

129.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.71 RON 3.38

1.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.88

$5.15 RON 24.57

27.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$5.41 RON 25.78

3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.02 RON 4.88

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.13 RON 5.39

89.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.86 RON 4.09

170.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

$21.25 RON 101

110.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

$0.82 RON 3.92

369.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.87 RON 4.16

22.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.70

$7.67 RON 36.56

114.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.55 RON 7.41

41.94%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$29.1K RON 138.7K

17.53%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$25.8K RON 123.0K

50.09%

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

$161 €144

$98.8 RON 471

63.18%

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

$18.41 €16.44

$4.16 RON 19.81

342.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.24

$6.15 RON 29.32

432.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.79

$32.60 RON 155

36.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

$20.27 RON 96.6

-5.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.57

$5.28 RON 25.19

81.82%

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

$668 €596

$419 RON 1,996

59.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$6,940 RON 33.1K

153.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$53.0 RON 253

92.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.72

$29.79 RON 142

49.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.0

$58.2 RON 277

69.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$64.4 RON 307

91.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,437

$386 RON 1,840

316.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,063

$282 RON 1,343

322.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,512

$587 RON 2,801

378.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,798

$448 RON 2,134

349.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,002

$1,838 RON 8,762

326.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

$1,364 RON 6,501

235.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

$635 RON 3,026

148.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.85

-43.80%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zalau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zalau

$282 32.6% 76.3% $908

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zalau

$179 20.8% 34.1% $93

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zalau

$128 14.8% 47.4% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zalau

$109 12.6% 48.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zalau

$92 10.7% 44.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zalau

$43 5% 32.3% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zalau

$30 3.5% 52.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $386 in Zalau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.5 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 $35 in Zalau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $179 per month, with Zalau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇴 Zalau

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

56,202

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Zalau 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Zalau

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 Zalau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $863 in Zalau, so Zalau is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.5 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 $386 in Zalau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $419 in Zalau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $863 in Zalau versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zalau but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zalau 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 Zalau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Zalau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.