Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Žalec

For one person, living is cheaper in Žalec: $1,661 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Žalec
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Žalec Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Žalec

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Žalec

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,661 in Žalec.

Lisbon $2,206
Žalec $1,661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,396 in Žalec.

Lisbon $3,276
Žalec $2,396

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,131 in Žalec.

Lisbon $4,346
Žalec $3,131

Living in Lisbon is roughly 33% more expensive than in Žalec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Žalec 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$9.99 €8.89

68.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$40.94 €36.44

49.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$7.91 €7.04

38.81%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$1.95 €1.74

56.41%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$3.27 €2.91

-30.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.64 €1.46

2.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.78 €3.37

-8.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$3.88 €3.45

0.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.33 €1.18

-13.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.20 €1.96

-14.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.76 €1.57

-14.77%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$3.90 €3.47

5.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$9.44 €8.40

37.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$9.49 €8.45

-15.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$14.70 €13.08

21.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.93 €1.72

17.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.66 €1.47

4.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.95 €1.73

-6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.85 €2.54

-5.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.04 €0.92

70.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.83 €0.73

133.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.42 €1.26

2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.77 €0.68

-1.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$5.88 €5.23

13.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$6.70 €5.96

-15.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.44 €1.28

-10.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.82 €1.62

17.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.40 €1.25

64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$34.00 €30.26

29.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.92 €1.71

107.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.29 €1.15

-50.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$20.22 €18.00

-6.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.63 €1.45

39.88%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$29.1K €25.9K

14.69%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$23.8K €21.2K

61.88%

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

$158 €141

$280 €249

-43.52%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$16.43 €14.62

6.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$28.11 €25.02

10.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$63.8 €56.8

-30.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$10.23 €9.11

-6.35%

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

$674 €599

$630 €560

7.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$12.1K €10.8K

55.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$91.7 €81.6

11.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$36.75 €32.71

24.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$110 €97.8

-6.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$124 €110

-1.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$716 €637

129.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$604 €538

96.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$1,132 €1,008

149.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$995 €886

102.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$3,246 €2,888

141.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$3,078 €2,739

52.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

$1,509 €1,343

11.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.52

8.52%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Žalec: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Žalec

$604 36.4% 49.1% $583

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Žalec

$263 15.9% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Žalec

$173 10.4% 29.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Žalec

$325 19.6% 56.9% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Žalec

$163 9.8% 2.6% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Žalec

$84 5.1% 32.1% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Žalec

$48 2.9% 20.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $716 in Žalec. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 12% 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 in Lisbon vs $41 in Žalec for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $263 per month, with Žalec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇮 Žalec

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

05:32 5:32 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Žalec 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Žalec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,661 in Žalec, so Žalec is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $716 in Žalec. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $630 in Žalec. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Žalec gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Expats usually find Žalec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.