Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Riyadh: $1,738 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Riyadh $1,738
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,587 in Riyadh versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Riyadh $2,587
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,437 in Riyadh versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Riyadh $3,437
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Riyadh costs roughly 21% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riyadh 28% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.37

$16.65 €14.92

-51.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.3 SAR 245

$61.7 €55.3

5.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 SAR 30.68

$11.36 €10.18

-27.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.12

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 SAR 11.16

Cappuccino

$4.30 SAR 16.13

$2.97 €2.66

44.78%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.18

$2.29 €2.05

-62.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$1.74 €1.56

-82.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$1.16 €1.04

57.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.93

$1.91 €1.71

-31.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.88

$1.51 €1.36

56.95%

Eggs

$3.04 SAR 11.41

$4.02 €3.60

-24.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 SAR 40.40

$12.94 €11.59

-16.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 SAR 35.17

$7.77 €6.97

20.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$17.76 €15.92

-15.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 SAR 10.70

$2.30 €2.06

23.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

$1.73 €1.55

9.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 SAR 9.25

$1.86 €1.66

32.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.43

$2.59 €2.32

-33.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

$1.82 €1.63

-35.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.82

$1.97 €1.76

-35.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$1.47 €1.32

21.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.72 €0.65

-19.44%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.15 SAR 30.58

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SAR 29.45

$6.58 €5.90

19.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

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)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$2.33 €2.09

-55.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 SAR 143

$44.68 €40.04

-14.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 SAR 11.74

$3.85 €3.45

-18.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.16

$1.07 €0.96

78.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.91

$16.46 €14.75

-19.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$2.20 €1.97

-72.73%

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

$26.2K SAR 98.2K

$34.2K €30.6K

-23.40%

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

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

$38.7K €34.7K

-42.59%

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

$108 SAR 403

$161 €144

-33.29%

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

$29.62 SAR 111

$18.41 €16.50

60.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 SAR 266

$32.74 €29.34

116.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 SAR 311

$44.55 €39.92

86.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 SAR 215

$19.10 €17.11

199.84%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 SAR 49.94

$9.60 €8.60

38.65%

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

$554 SAR 2,077

$668 €598

-17.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K SAR 37.8K

$17.6K €15.8K

-42.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 SAR 216

$102 €91.4

-43.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$44.46 €39.85

22.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 SAR 391

$98.5 €88.3

5.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 SAR 393

$124 €111

-15.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 SAR 4,310

$1,608 €1,441

-28.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,127

$1,190 €1,066

-29.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 SAR 8,125

$2,812 €2,520

-22.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 SAR 4,786

$2,013 €1,804

-36.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

$7,839 €7,025

-64.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,718 SAR 6,443

$4,576 €4,100

-62.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,052 SAR 7,699

$1,575 €1,411

30.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

3.85

43.90%

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

Last update for Riyadh: 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

Riyadh

$833 48%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 42.8% $357

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$241 13.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 12.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 12%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 2% $4.2

Eating Out

Riyadh

$145 8.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 66.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$144 8.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 14.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$110 6.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 41.9% $46

Getting Around

Riyadh

$55 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 15.1% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Riyadh and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65 in Riyadh vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $241 vs $272, with Riyadh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

3 h behind Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Riyadh Lisbon 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
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

Riyadh vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,738 in Riyadh and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Riyadh is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Riyadh, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,149 in Riyadh versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $554 in Riyadh versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Riyadh gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Riyadh and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.