Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paro and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Paro: $153 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Paro

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$153

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $153 in Paro versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Paro $153
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $299 in Paro versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Paro $299
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $446 in Paro versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Paro $446
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Paro costs roughly 93% less than in Lisbon.

The two cities straddle the global median: Paro is 89% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.94

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.4

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.19

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

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

$2.29 €2.05

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.61

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.94

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.77

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

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

$34.2K €30.7K

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

$38.7K €34.7K

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

$161 €145

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

$18.41 €16.52

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.37

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.97

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.59 BTN 342

$19.10 €17.14

-81.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.61

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

$668 €599

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.5

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.90

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.4

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 BTN 19.2K

$1,608 €1,443

-87.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 BTN 14.6K

$1,190 €1,068

-87.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 BTN 47.5K

$2,812 €2,523

-82.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$442 BTN 42.1K

$2,013 €1,806

-78.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,034

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,106

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,413

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Paro: 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

Paro

–

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Groceries & Markets

Paro

–

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Eating Out

Paro

–

Lisbon

$243 11%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paro

–

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Paro

–

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Paro

–

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Getting Around

Paro

–

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $202 in Paro and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Paro

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

00:07 12:07 AM

6 h behind Paro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,448

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.49 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇹 Bhutanese Ngultrum (Nu.)

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 95.29 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Paro Lisbon 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Paro
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

Paro vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $153 in Paro and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Paro is about 93% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $229 in Paro and $3,315 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: $202 in Paro versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

At $153 in Paro versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Paro but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Paro 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, Paro and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.