Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medias and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,102 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Medias
Learn more

Medias Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,102 in Medias versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Medias $1,102
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,683 in Medias versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Medias $1,683
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,263 in Medias versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Medias $2,263
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Medias costs roughly 50% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medias is 19% below, Lisbon is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 RON 53.0

$16.86 €15.00

-33.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.8 RON 246

$61.0 €54.3

-15.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 RON 34.94

$10.98 €9.77

-33.06%

Cappuccino

$3.70 RON 17.59

$3.05 €2.71

21.31%

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

$2.46 RON 11.68

$2.28 €2.03

7.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 RON 10.71

$1.68 €1.50

33.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.20

$3.44 €3.06

-6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 RON 15.55

$3.91 €3.48

-16.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.15 €1.02

6.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$1.89 €1.68

-24.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 RON 8.24

$1.50 €1.34

15.33%

Eggs

$3.59 RON 17.05

$4.12 €3.66

-12.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 RON 41.13

$13.01 €11.57

-33.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 RON 31.82

$8.04 €7.16

-16.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.89 RON 61.3

$17.89 €15.92

-27.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.02

$2.27 €2.02

-34.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.04

$1.74 €1.55

-14.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 RON 7.35

$1.82 €1.62

-14.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 RON 12.28

$2.69 €2.39

-4.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.77 €1.57

-56.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 RON 3.57

$1.94 €1.72

-61.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$1.46 €1.30

-45.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 RON 3.57

$0.76 €0.68

-1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 RON 29.50

$6.66 €5.92

-6.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 RON 35.85

$5.64 €5.02

33.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.29 €1.15

-4.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 RON 8.56

$2.14 €1.90

-15.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.32

$2.30 €2.05

-69.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.96 RON 114

$44.02 €39.17

-45.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.14

$3.98 €3.54

-83.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 RON 3.23

$0.64 €0.57

6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.60 RON 31.35

$18.93 €16.84

-65.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 RON 6.56

$2.28 €2.03

-39.47%

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

$29.0K RON 137.9K

$33.4K €29.7K

-13.06%

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

$25.2K RON 120.0K

$38.5K €34.3K

-34.44%

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

$180 RON 857

$158 €141

14.02%

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

$7.25 RON 34.47

$17.54 €15.61

-58.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.26 RON 43.99

$31.18 €27.75

-70.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.03 RON 176

$44.64 €39.73

-17.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.31 RON 96.6

$18.98 €16.89

7.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.12 RON 29.10

$9.58 €8.52

-36.12%

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

$438 RON 2,082

$674 €599

-34.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,770 RON 36.9K

$18.7K €16.7K

-58.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 RON 249

$102 €90.9

-48.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.51 RON 169

$45.90 €40.85

-22.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 RON 349

$102 €91.0

-28.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 RON 432

$122 €109

-25.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 RON 1,850

$1,641 €1,460

-76.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,389

$1,187 €1,057

-75.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 RON 2,862

$2,825 €2,514

-78.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 RON 2,152

$2,018 €1,796

-77.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,039 RON 9,690

$7,836 €6,973

-73.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,480 RON 7,036

$4,701 €4,183

-68.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.23

3.82

89.27%

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

Last update for Medias: October 31, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medias

$292 26.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 306% $895

Groceries & Markets

Medias

$222 20.2%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 23.6% $52

Eating Out

Medias

$197 17.9%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 24.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medias

$197 17.9%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 5.1% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Medias

$113 10.3%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 47.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Medias

$49 4.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 29.5% $15

Getting Around

Medias

$31 2.8%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 96.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $389 in Medias and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Medias vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $275 per month, with Medias cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Medias

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

2 h behind Medias

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,564

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medias Lisbon 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Medias
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

Medias vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,102 in Medias and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Medias is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,653 in Medias and $3,309 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $389 in Medias versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $438 in Medias versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,102 in Medias versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medias but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Medias 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, Medias and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Medias gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.