Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nara, Japan and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,233 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
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Nara Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,233

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,233 in Nara versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Nara $1,233
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,851 in Nara versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Nara $1,851
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,468 in Nara versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Nara $2,468
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Nara costs roughly 44% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nara is 9% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.33 ¥996

$16.65 €14.91

-61.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.27 ¥5,083

$61.7 €55.3

-47.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥785

$11.36 €10.17

-56.07%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥394

$2.97 €2.66

-15.82%

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

$1.26 ¥198

$2.29 €2.05

-44.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$1.74 €1.56

-59.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 ¥506

$3.40 €3.05

-5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ¥488

$3.31 €2.96

-6.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥247

$1.16 €1.04

35.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.91 €1.71

-31.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 ¥649

$1.51 €1.35

172.85%

Eggs

$2.23 ¥352

$4.02 €3.60

-44.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 ¥1,537

$12.94 €11.59

-24.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.07 ¥1,114

$7.77 €6.96

-9.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.13 ¥2,855

$17.76 €15.91

2.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ¥520

$2.30 €2.06

43.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 ¥304

$1.73 €1.55

11.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ¥334

$1.86 €1.66

13.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 ¥642

$2.59 €2.32

57.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ¥236

$1.82 €1.63

-17.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.97 €1.76

-42.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥179

$1.47 €1.32

-23.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥138

$0.72 €0.65

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥612

$6.58 €5.90

-41.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 ¥1,502

$5.61 €5.02

70.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.36 €1.22

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥339

$2.14 €1.91

0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥233

$2.33 €2.09

-36.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 ¥11.7K

$44.68 €40.01

66.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ¥497

$3.85 €3.45

-18.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.92 ¥461

$1.07 €0.96

172.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.66 ¥2,467

$16.46 €14.74

-4.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ¥169

$2.20 €1.97

-50.91%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$34.2K €30.6K

-36.35%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$38.7K €34.7K

-60.45%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$161 €144

-26.87%

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

$24.81 ¥3,909

$18.41 €16.49

34.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 ¥4,843

$32.74 €29.32

-6.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 ¥13.1K

$44.55 €39.90

86.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.58 ¥1,195

$19.10 €17.10

-60.31%

Cinema Ticket

$12.57 ¥1,980

$9.60 €8.60

30.94%

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

$693 ¥109.1K

$668 €598

3.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K ¥2.1M

$17.6K €15.8K

-24.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.11 ¥7,420

$102 €91.4

-53.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.96 ¥4,877

$44.46 €39.82

-30.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 ¥9,728

$98.5 €88.2

-37.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 ¥14.2K

$124 €111

-27.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥64.8K

$1,608 €1,440

-74.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥53.5K

$1,190 €1,066

-71.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 ¥131.1K

$2,812 €2,519

-70.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ¥86.1K

$2,013 €1,803

-72.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 ¥420.7K

$7,839 €7,021

-65.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ¥321.3K

$4,576 €4,098

-55.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,123 ¥176.8K

$1,575 €1,411

-28.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

3.85

-47.53%

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

Last update for Nara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nara

$340 27.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 250% $850

Groceries & Markets

Nara

$285 23.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 4.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nara

$173 14.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 22.4% $39

Eating Out

Nara

$126 10.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 93% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Nara

$108 8.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 41.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Nara

$103 8.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 60.5% $63

Getting Around

Nara

$98 8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 35.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Nara and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 40% 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: $32 in Nara vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nara

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

08:18 8:18 AM

9 h behind Nara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

355,280

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nara Lisbon 11,090 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nara
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

Nara vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,233 in Nara and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Nara is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Nara. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $411 in Nara versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Nara 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 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,233 in Nara versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nara but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Nara 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.

It comes down to priorities – Nara wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.