Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ljubljana and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ljubljana: $2,104 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,104

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ljubljana and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ljubljana and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,104 in Ljubljana versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Ljubljana $2,104
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,149 in Ljubljana versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Ljubljana $3,149
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,194 in Ljubljana versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Ljubljana $4,194
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Ljubljana costs roughly 5% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ljubljana 55% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.86 €14.25

$16.65 €14.96

-4.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 €59.6

$61.7 €55.5

7.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 €10.18

$11.36 €10.20

-0.26%

Cappuccino

$2.85 €2.56

$2.97 €2.67

-4.04%

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

$3.07 €2.76

$2.29 €2.06

34.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.74 €1.56

8.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.44

$3.40 €3.06

12.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.93

$3.31 €2.97

32.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.19

$1.16 €1.04

13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.91 €1.72

15.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.77

$1.51 €1.36

104.64%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.52

$4.02 €3.61

-2.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 €13.09

$12.94 €11.62

12.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.67 €8.69

$7.77 €6.99

24.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.54 €13.07

$17.76 €15.96

-18.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.30 €2.07

-2.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.08

$1.86 €1.67

24.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 €3.10

$2.59 €2.33

33.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.82 €1.64

-18.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.97 €1.77

-20.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.47 €1.32

17.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.72 €0.65

18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 €5.49

$6.58 €5.92

-7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 €6.88

$5.61 €5.04

36.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.36 €1.22

2.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.96

$2.14 €1.92

1.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.52

$2.33 €2.10

-27.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.77 €37.53

$44.68 €40.14

-6.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.99

$3.85 €3.46

-42.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.07 €0.96

16.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.81 €16.90

$16.46 €14.79

14.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$2.20 €1.98

-18.18%

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

$29.4K €26.4K

$34.2K €30.7K

-14.04%

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

$24.7K €22.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

-36.34%

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

$289 €259

$161 €145

79.07%

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

$15.95 €14.33

$18.41 €16.54

-13.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.66 €34.73

$32.74 €29.41

18.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 €46.09

$44.55 €40.03

15.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.20 €21.74

$19.10 €17.16

26.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 €9.21

$9.60 €8.62

6.77%

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

$643 €578

$668 €600

-3.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.3K

$17.6K €15.8K

-22.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$102 €91.7

10.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.11 €38.73

$44.46 €39.95

-3.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.6

$98.5 €88.5

11.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €129

$124 €111

15.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,032

$1,608 €1,445

-28.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$907 €815

$1,190 €1,069

-23.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 €2,126

$2,812 €2,527

-15.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 €1,458

$2,013 €1,809

-19.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,815 €6,124

$7,839 €7,043

-13.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,052 €4,539

$4,576 €4,111

10.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,940 €1,743

$1,575 €1,415

23.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.85

-8.57%

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

Last update for Ljubljana: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ljubljana

$907 43.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 31.2% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ljubljana

$343 16.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 38.1% $131

Groceries & Markets

Ljubljana

$298 14.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 8.7% $26

Eating Out

Ljubljana

$243 11.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ljubljana

$184 8.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 9.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ljubljana

$72 3.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 11.2% $8.1

Getting Around

Ljubljana

$57 2.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 10.9% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Ljubljana and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ljubljana pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Ljubljana vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

1 h behind Ljubljana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,604 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ljubljana Lisbon 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ljubljana
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

Ljubljana vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ljubljana and Lisbon differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,104 vs $2,210 including rent). Ljubljana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Ljubljana, 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: $1,149 in Ljubljana versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $643 in Ljubljana versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Ljubljana gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Ljubljana is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ljubljana and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.