Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pula and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Pula: $1,580 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Pula
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Pula Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Pula

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,580

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,580 in Pula versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Pula $1,580
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,515 in Pula versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Pula $2,515
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,450 in Pula versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Pula $3,450
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Pula costs roughly 28% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pula 17% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.68 €13.06

$17.04 €15.15

-13.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.6

$62.3 €55.4

9.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 €7.94

$11.02 €9.80

-19.06%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$3.12 €2.78

-18.27%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$2.27 €2.02

29.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.74 €1.55

20.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.05

$3.42 €3.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$3.74 €3.33

17.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.17 €1.04

5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.86 €1.66

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 €2.83

$1.54 €1.37

106.49%

Eggs

$3.78 €3.37

$4.06 €3.61

-6.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 €9.74

$12.91 €11.49

-15.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.79 €9.59

$7.90 €7.03

36.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 €16.72

$17.64 €15.69

6.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.26 €2.01

-12.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.75 €1.55

6.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.89 €1.68

13.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.56 €2.27

1.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.85 €1.64

-26.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.97 €1.75

-32.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.45 €1.29

-10.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$0.77 €0.69

58.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 €4.97

$6.71 €5.97

-16.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.94

$5.67 €5.04

37.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.37 €1.22

35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.11 €1.88

13.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.32 €2.07

-1.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.26 €29.58

$44.43 €39.52

-25.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 €2.91

$3.95 €3.51

-16.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.05 €0.93

111.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.18 €19.73

$17.15 €15.26

29.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.19 €1.95

-16.44%

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

$26.0K €23.1K

$33.8K €30.0K

-23.06%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$38.3K €34.0K

-30.46%

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

$156 €139

$164 €146

-4.63%

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

$22.01 €19.58

$18.48 €16.43

19.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.37 €35.02

$32.96 €29.32

19.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.70 €44.21

$45.87 €40.80

8.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 €33.48

$18.68 €16.61

101.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$9.75 €8.67

8.62%

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

$240 €214

$684 €608

-64.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,826 €2,514

$17.6K €15.7K

-83.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €101

$104 €92.3

9.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.80 €32.74

$46.20 €41.09

-20.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 €128

$99.7 €88.7

44.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €116

$125 €111

4.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 €609

$1,589 €1,414

-56.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 €464

$1,169 €1,040

-55.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 €1,170

$2,851 €2,536

-53.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 €889

$1,993 €1,773

-49.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,363 €3,881

$7,793 €6,932

-44.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,650 €3,246

$4,418 €3,930

-17.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,517 €1,349

$1,600 €1,423

-5.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

3.85

-8.05%

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

Last update for Pula: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pula

$522 33%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 124% $648

Groceries & Markets

Pula

$301 19%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 9.2% $28

Eating Out

Pula

$221 14%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 12.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pula

$218 13.8%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 1.1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Pula

$192 12.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 12% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Pula

$71 4.5%

Lisbon

$65 3% 7.8% $5.5

Getting Around

Pula

$57 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 10.8% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $685 in Pula and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 5% 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: $68.0 in Pula vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Pula

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

1 h behind Pula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,220

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Pula Lisbon 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Pula
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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

Pula vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pula and Lisbon differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,580 vs $2,202 including rent). Pula is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% 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: $685 in Pula versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $240 in Pula versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,580 in Pula versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pula but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Pula 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, Pula 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 Pula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.