Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zgorzelec

For one person, living is cheaper in Zgorzelec: $1,416 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Zgorzelec
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Zgorzelec Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Zgorzelec

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zgorzelec

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,416 in Zgorzelec.

Lisbon $2,206
Zgorzelec $1,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,062 in Zgorzelec.

Lisbon $3,276
Zgorzelec $2,062

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,707 in Zgorzelec.

Lisbon $4,346
Zgorzelec $2,707

Living in Lisbon is roughly 56% more expensive than in Zgorzelec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Zgorzelec 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$8.90 zł 34.77

89.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$51.7 zł 202

18.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$7.51 zł 29.35

46.21%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$3.09 zł 12.08

-1.29%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.91 zł 3.57

150.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.63 zł 6.38

3.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$1.48 zł 5.77

132.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$2.05 zł 8.00

90.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.95 zł 3.71

21.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.20 zł 4.70

57.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.40 zł 5.47

7.14%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$3.51 zł 13.74

17.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$8.58 zł 33.54

51.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$5.84 zł 22.81

37.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$13.05 zł 51.0

37.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.86 zł 3.37

163.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.50 zł 5.84

16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.64 zł 6.40

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.55 zł 6.04

73.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.62 zł 2.42

185.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.01 zł 3.94

92.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.27 zł 4.96

14.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.64 zł 2.49

18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$4.64 zł 18.13

43.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$7.53 zł 29.42

-25.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.85 zł 3.32

51.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.47 zł 5.73

45.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.09 zł 4.27

111.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

$29.10 zł 114

51.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$2.32 zł 9.07

71.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.05 zł 4.09

-39.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$12.75 zł 49.82

48.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$1.62 zł 6.31

40.74%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$30.4K zł 118.7K

9.90%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$27.7K zł 108.1K

39.17%

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

$158 €141

$288 zł 1,127

-45.13%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$7.87 zł 30.75

122.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$18.41 zł 71.9

69.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$37.66 zł 147

18.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

$21.48 zł 84.0

-11.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$7.34 zł 28.67

30.52%

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

$674 €598

$483 zł 1,887

39.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$7,450 zł 29.1K

151.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$77.2 zł 301

32.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$37.75 zł 148

21.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$86.2 zł 337

18.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$109 zł 425

12.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$599 zł 2,339

174.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$515 zł 2,012

130.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$968 zł 3,785

191.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$824 zł 3,218

145.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

$2,959 zł 11.6K

164.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

$2,159 zł 8,438

117.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$1,369 zł 5,349

23.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.63

-42.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zgorzelec: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zgorzelec

$515 36.4% 56.6% $672

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Zgorzelec

$202 14.2% 26.5% $73

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Zgorzelec

$152 10.8% 37.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Zgorzelec

$315 22.2% 52% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Zgorzelec

$139 9.9% 16.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zgorzelec

$52 3.7% 18% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Zgorzelec

$41 2.9% 32.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $599 in Zgorzelec. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 23% 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 $52 in Zgorzelec for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $202 per month, with Zgorzelec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇱 Zgorzelec

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

01:09 1:09 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

29,534

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Zgorzelec 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Zgorzelec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,416 in Zgorzelec, so Zgorzelec is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% 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 $599 in Zgorzelec. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $483 in Zgorzelec. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,416 in Zgorzelec versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zgorzelec but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zgorzelec 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 Zgorzelec are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Zgorzelec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.