Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Punakha and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Punakha: $135 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Punakha

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$135

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $135 in Punakha versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Punakha $135
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $183 in Punakha versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Punakha $183
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $231 in Punakha versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Punakha $231
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Punakha costs roughly 94% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Punakha is 90% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.88

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.15

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

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 €3.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.57

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.95

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.88

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.89

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.94

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.72

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

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

$34.2K €30.6K

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

$38.7K €34.6K

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

$161 €144

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

$18.41 €16.46

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.27

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.83

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.58

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

$668 €597

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.41 BTN 2,040

$102 €91.2

-79.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.42 BTN 993

$44.46 €39.75

-76.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.00 BTN 4,002

$98.5 €88.1

-57.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.72 BTN 3,499

$124 €111

-70.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$95.7 BTN 9,121

$1,608 €1,438

-94.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.8 BTN 8,084

$1,190 €1,064

-92.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$138 BTN 13.2K

$2,812 €2,514

-95.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$120 BTN 11.5K

$2,013 €1,800

-94.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,125 BTN 297.8K

$7,839 €7,008

-60.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,890 BTN 275.3K

$4,576 €4,091

-36.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$242 BTN 23.0K

$1,575 €1,408

-84.64%

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 Punakha: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Punakha

–

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Groceries & Markets

Punakha

–

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Eating Out

Punakha

–

Lisbon

$243 11%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Punakha

–

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Punakha

–

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Punakha

–

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Getting Around

Punakha

–

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $96 in Punakha and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 6.5 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Punakha

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

04:07 4:07 AM

6 h behind Punakha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,500

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 = 1.12 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 = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Punakha Lisbon 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Punakha
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

Punakha vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $135 in Punakha and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Punakha is about 94% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Punakha. 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: $96 in Punakha versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

At $135 in Punakha versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $800 budget is realistic in Punakha but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Punakha 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, Punakha and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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