Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: $953 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
🇴🇲 Oman
$953
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $953
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,433 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,433
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,914
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos costs roughly 57% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Madinat As Sultan Qaboos is 29% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.29 OMR 2.04
$16.50 €14.67
-67.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.70 OMR 15.29
$61.3 €54.5
-35.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.76 OMR 2.99
$11.27 €10.03
-31.14%
Cappuccino
$4.94 OMR 1.90
$3.06 €2.72
61.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 OMR 0.32
$2.26 €2.01
-62.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 OMR 0.11
$1.73 €1.54
-83.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.92 OMR 4.97
$3.39 €3.02
281.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.93 OMR 4.98
$3.40 €3.02
280.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.31 OMR 0.89
$1.12 €1.00
106.25%
White Bread (500g)
$1.20 OMR 0.46
$1.86 €1.65
-35.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.82 OMR 0.70
$1.53 €1.36
18.95%
Eggs
$3.03 OMR 1.17
$3.96 €3.53
-23.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.11 OMR 2.74
$12.76 €11.35
-44.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.00 OMR 2.70
$7.90 €7.02
-11.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.58 OMR 4.07
$16.97 €15.09
-37.65%
Apples (1kg)
$3.59 OMR 1.38
$2.27 €2.02
58.15%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 OMR 0.78
$1.75 €1.55
16.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 OMR 0.90
$1.85 €1.64
26.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.31 OMR 0.50
$2.57 €2.28
-49.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.16 OMR 0.45
$1.86 €1.65
-37.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 OMR 0.49
$2.02 €1.80
-36.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.85 OMR 0.71
$1.44 €1.28
28.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 OMR 0.27
$0.82 €0.73
-13.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.65 OMR 2.56
$6.56 €5.83
1.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.76 OMR 6.07
$5.62 €5.00
180.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$6.08 OMR 2.34
$1.28 €1.14
375.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.22 OMR 3.93
$2.07 €1.84
393.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$2.35 €2.09
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.18 €39.30
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.32 OMR 1.28
$3.99 €3.55
-16.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.56 OMR 0.98
$1.09 €0.97
134.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.74 OMR 2.98
$16.64 €14.81
-53.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.64 OMR 0.25
$2.28 €2.03
-71.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.3K OMR 9,736
$33.7K €30.0K
-24.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K OMR 8,570
$39.3K €35.0K
-43.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$176 OMR 67.9
$167 €149
5.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.16 OMR 12.00
$18.80 €16.72
65.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.5 OMR 27.51
$33.09 €29.43
115.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$46.01 €40.93
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.19 €17.07
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.43 OMR 4.01
$9.84 €8.75
6.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$292 OMR 112
$677 €602
-56.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K OMR 4,033
$16.9K €15.1K
-38.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 OMR 21.33
$101 €90.1
-45.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.86 OMR 16.89
$45.76 €40.70
-4.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.6 OMR 34.12
$100.0 €88.9
-11.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 OMR 34.02
$123 €109
-28.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,614 €1,436
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,197 €1,065
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,862 €2,545
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,990 €1,770
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,577 €6,740
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,307 €3,831
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,588 €1,412
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.25
3.85
36.36%

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

Last update for Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
$293
Lisbon
$269 8% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
$279
Lisbon
$219 21.3% $60
Eating Out
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
$220
Lisbon
$242 10.2% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
$124
Lisbon
$166 33.9% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
$21 *
Lisbon
$66 215% $45
Getting Around
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
$16 *
Lisbon
$63 291% $47
Accommodation & Living
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
- *
Lisbon
$1.2K

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40.00 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇴🇲 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
06:51 6:51 AM
03:51 3:51 AM
3 h behind Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Lisbon 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
  • Lisbon

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
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and in Lisbon?
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Lisbon differ by about 133% in total monthly costs ($953 vs $2,223 including rent). Madinat As Sultan Qaboos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos compared to Lisbon?
You'd need roughly $1,430 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and $3,335 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Madinat As Sultan Qaboos or Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $953 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 133% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Madinat As Sultan Qaboos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Lisbon?
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.
Is Madinat As Sultan Qaboos or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 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.
Where should expats move: Madinat As Sultan Qaboos or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Madinat As Sultan Qaboos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs other spots: cost of living compared

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