Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zvolen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zvolen: $1,498 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Zvolen
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Zvolen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zvolen

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zvolen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,498 in Zvolen.

Lisbon $2,210
Zvolen $1,498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,258 in Zvolen.

Lisbon $3,275
Zvolen $2,258

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,019 in Zvolen.

Lisbon $4,341
Zvolen $3,019

Living in Lisbon is roughly 48% more expensive than in Zvolen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zvolen 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$7.12 €6.35

133.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$26.46 €23.60

133.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$8.00 €7.14

42.00%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$1.91 €1.71

55.50%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$1.38 €1.23

65.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.17 €1.04

48.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$1.89 €1.69

79.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.27 €2.03

45.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.94 €0.83

23.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.96 €0.86

98.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.03 €1.81

-25.62%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$3.41 €3.04

17.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$9.07 €8.09

42.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$6.29 €5.61

23.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$10.80 €9.63

64.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.00 €1.79

15.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.74 €1.55

-0.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.04 €1.82

-8.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$3.42 €3.05

-24.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.14 €1.02

59.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.14 €1.01

72.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.27 €1.14

15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.78 €0.70

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$4.60 €4.10

43.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$5.58 €4.98

0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.71 €0.63

91.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.39 €1.24

53.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.69 €1.51

37.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

$27.87 €24.87

60.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$2.77 €2.47

38.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.11 €0.99

-3.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$22.41 €19.99

-26.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.78 €1.59

23.60%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$25.7K €23.0K

32.81%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$22.3K €19.9K

73.73%

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

$161 €144

$112 €100.0

43.90%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$18.24 €16.27

0.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$16.77 €14.97

95.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$31.04 €27.69

43.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

$16.80 €14.99

13.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$10.12 €9.02

-5.14%

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

$668 €596

$334 €298

99.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$2,264 €2,020

678.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$73.1 €65.2

39.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$49.65 €44.30

-10.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$91.2 €81.4

8.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$73.3 €65.4

68.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$967 €862

66.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$784 €699

51.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$1,794 €1,600

56.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$1,463 €1,305

37.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$3,389 €3,023

131.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$2,562 €2,286

78.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$1,238 €1,105

27.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.88

-0.77%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zvolen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zvolen

$784 52.3% 34.1% $406

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zvolen

$215 14.4% 21% $57

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zvolen

$128 8.6% 47.2% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zvolen

$147 9.8% 30.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zvolen

$129 8.6% 22.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zvolen

$51 3.4% 19.6% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zvolen

$43 2.9% 32.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $967 in Zvolen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 27% 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 $26 in Zvolen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $215 per month, with Zvolen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇰 Zvolen

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

13:13 1:13 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

42,778

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Zvolen 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Zvolen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,498 in Zvolen, so Zvolen is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $967 in Zvolen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $334 in Zvolen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Zvolen 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 Zvolen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Zvolen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.