Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paramaribo and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Paramaribo: $1,002 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Paramaribo
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Paramaribo Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Paramaribo

🇸🇷 Suriname

$1,002

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,002 in Paramaribo versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Paramaribo $1,002
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,659 in Paramaribo versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Paramaribo $1,659
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,316 in Paramaribo versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Paramaribo $2,316
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Paramaribo costs roughly 55% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Paramaribo is 26% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.42 SRD 506

$16.50 €14.67

-18.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.8 SRD 1,989

$61.3 €54.5

-13.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 SRD 408

$11.27 €10.03

-3.99%

Cappuccino

$2.86 SRD 108

$3.06 €2.72

-6.54%

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

$1.41 SRD 53.3

$2.26 €2.01

-37.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 SRD 32.98

$1.73 €1.54

-49.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 SRD 100

$3.39 €3.02

-21.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 SRD 146

$3.40 €3.02

13.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SRD 65.8

$1.12 €1.00

56.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 SRD 53.1

$1.86 €1.65

-24.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SRD 62.3

$1.53 €1.36

7.84%

Eggs

$3.12 SRD 118

$3.96 €3.53

-21.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 SRD 444

$12.76 €11.35

-7.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 SRD 231

$7.90 €7.02

-22.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 SRD 386

$16.97 €15.09

-39.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 SRD 180

$2.27 €2.02

110.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 SRD 113

$1.75 €1.55

72.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 SRD 138

$1.85 €1.64

98.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 SRD 226

$2.57 €2.28

133.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 SRD 49.65

$1.86 €1.65

-29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 SRD 74.9

$2.02 €1.80

-1.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 SRD 57.7

$1.44 €1.28

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SRD 54.1

$0.82 €0.73

75.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.66 SRD 213

$6.56 €5.83

-13.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 SRD 304

$5.62 €5.00

43.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 SRD 78.8

$1.28 €1.14

63.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 SRD 142

$2.07 €1.84

82.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 SRD 29.23

$2.35 €2.09

-66.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 SRD 81.0

$3.99 €3.55

-46.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SRD 58.0

$1.09 €0.97

41.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 SRD 271

$16.64 €14.81

-56.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 SRD 44.76

$2.28 €2.03

-47.81%

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

$25.5K SRD 959.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

-24.35%

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

$25.3K SRD 952.9K

$39.3K €35.0K

-35.62%

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

$37.49 SRD 1,412

$167 €149

-77.62%

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

$25.86 SRD 974

$18.80 €16.72

37.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.23 SRD 1,139

$33.09 €29.43

-8.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.51 SRD 509

$46.01 €40.93

-70.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.20 SRD 761

$19.19 €17.07

5.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.15 SRD 194

$9.84 €8.75

-47.66%

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

$63.1 SRD 2,378

$677 €602

-90.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,777 SRD 66.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

-89.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.60 SRD 1,266

$101 €90.1

-66.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.88 SRD 787

$45.76 €40.70

-54.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 SRD 2,571

$100.0 €88.9

-31.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SRD 3,873

$123 €109

-16.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$480 SRD 18.1K

$1,614 €1,436

-70.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 SRD 10.0K

$1,197 €1,065

-77.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 SRD 35.4K

$2,862 €2,545

-67.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 SRD 18.8K

$1,990 €1,770

-74.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$461 SRD 17.3K

$7,577 €6,740

-93.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$396 SRD 14.9K

$4,307 €3,831

-90.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$282 SRD 10.6K

$1,588 €1,412

-82.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

315.58%

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

Last update for Paramaribo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Paramaribo

$300 29.9%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 10.1% $30

Accommodation & Living

Paramaribo

$266 26.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 350% $931

Eating Out

Paramaribo

$204 20.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 18.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Paramaribo

$102 10.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 63.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paramaribo

$94 9.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 134% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Paramaribo

$24 2.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 176% $42

Getting Around

Paramaribo

$13 * 1.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 386% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $480 in Paramaribo and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 463% 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: $53.0 in Paramaribo vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $300 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇷 Paramaribo

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

4 h ahead of Paramaribo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,946 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Surinamese Dollar SRD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SRD = 2.65 USD

100 SRD = 2.36 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SRD – Surinamese Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇷 Surinamese Dollar ($)

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 37.67 SRD (100 SRD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 42.35 SRD (100 SRD = 2.36 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SRD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Paramaribo Lisbon 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Paramaribo
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

Paramaribo vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paramaribo and Lisbon differ by about 122% in total monthly costs ($1,002 vs $2,223 including rent). Paramaribo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 463% lower in Lisbon. 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: $480 in Paramaribo versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,002 per month in Paramaribo versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,002 in Paramaribo versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Paramaribo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Paramaribo 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, Paramaribo 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.

Expats usually find Paramaribo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.