Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samarkand and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarkand: $636 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Lisbon, Portugal
Samarkand
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
$636
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $636 in Samarkand versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Samarkand $636
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,013 in Samarkand versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Samarkand $1,013
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,391 in Samarkand versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Samarkand $1,391
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Samarkand costs roughly 71% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Samarkand is 53% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Samarkand
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.82 UZS 81.5K
$16.65 €14.93
-59.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.65 UZS 235.0K
$61.7 €55.4
-68.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 UZS 57.2K
$11.36 €10.19
-57.92%
Cappuccino
$2.54 UZS 30.4K
$2.97 €2.66
-14.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 UZS 9,039
$2.29 €2.05
-66.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21 UZS 2,497
$1.74 €1.56
-87.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.64 UZS 19.7K
$3.40 €3.05
-51.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 UZS 27.1K
$3.31 €2.97
-31.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Samarkand
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 UZS 12.8K
$1.16 €1.04
-7.76%
White Bread (500g)
$0.32 UZS 3,790
$1.91 €1.71
-83.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 UZS 19.1K
$1.51 €1.36
5.30%
Eggs
$1.33 UZS 15.9K
$4.02 €3.61
-66.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.19 UZS 97.9K
$12.94 €11.61
-36.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.19 UZS 50.1K
$7.77 €6.97
-46.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.48 UZS 125.4K
$17.76 €15.93
-40.99%
Apples (1kg)
$0.86 UZS 10.3K
$2.30 €2.07
-62.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 UZS 21.0K
$1.73 €1.55
1.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 UZS 20.4K
$1.86 €1.67
-8.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.71 UZS 20.4K
$2.59 €2.32
-33.98%
Potato (1kg)
$0.51 UZS 6,156
$1.82 €1.63
-71.98%
Onion (1kg)
$0.15 UZS 1,820
$1.97 €1.77
-92.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.26 UZS 3,139
$1.47 €1.32
-82.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.41 UZS 4,888
$0.72 €0.65
-43.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.65 UZS 19.8K
$6.58 €5.91
-74.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.44 UZS 41.1K
$5.61 €5.03
-38.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 UZS 12.2K
$1.36 €1.22
-25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 UZS 24.4K
$2.14 €1.92
-4.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Samarkand
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 UZS 2,859
$2.33 €2.09
-89.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$3.42 UZS 40.9K
$44.68 €40.08
-92.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.33 UZS 3,900
$3.85 €3.45
-91.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 UZS 3,887
$1.07 €0.96
-70.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.40 UZS 40.6K
$16.46 €14.77
-79.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 UZS 14.2K
$2.20 €1.97
-45.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.3K UZS 207.0M
$34.2K €30.7K
-49.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1K UZS 252.5M
$38.7K €34.7K
-45.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Samarkand
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.16 UZS 492.3K
$161 €145
-74.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.92 UZS 46.9K
$18.41 €16.51
-78.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.63 UZS 163.0K
$32.74 €29.37
-58.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Samarkand
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.16 UZS 468.4K
$44.55 €39.96
-12.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.56 UZS 78.5K
$19.10 €17.13
-65.65%
Cinema Ticket
$3.21 UZS 38.4K
$9.60 €8.61
-66.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Samarkand
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$380 UZS 4.5M
$668 €599
-43.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,387 UZS 88.4M
$17.6K €15.8K
-58.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Samarkand
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$20.48 UZS 245.0K
$102 €91.5
-79.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.29 UZS 493.9K
$44.46 €39.89
-7.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 UZS 901.5K
$98.5 €88.4
-23.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.2 UZS 707.5K
$124 €111
-52.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Samarkand
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$239 UZS 2.9M
$1,608 €1,443
-85.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$164 UZS 2.0M
$1,190 €1,067
-86.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$457 UZS 5.5M
$2,812 €2,523
-83.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$319 UZS 3.8M
$2,013 €1,806
-84.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,248 UZS 14.9M
$7,839 €7,032
-84.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$536 UZS 6.4M
$4,576 €4,104
-88.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Samarkand
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$306 UZS 3.7M
$1,575 €1,413
-80.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
23.31
3.85
505.45%

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

Last update for Samarkand: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Samarkand
$164
Lisbon
$1.2K 625% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Samarkand
$157
Lisbon
$272 73.9% $116
Eating Out
Samarkand
$116
Lisbon
$243 109% $127
Clothing & Footwear
Samarkand
$88
Lisbon
$166 87.8% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Samarkand
$59
Lisbon
$212 262% $154
Sport & Entertainment
Samarkand
$46
Lisbon
$64 39.8% $18
Getting Around
Samarkand
$6.3
Lisbon
$63 900% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $239 in Samarkand and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Samarkand vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $157 vs $272 per month, with Samarkand cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇿 Samarkand
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
12:52 12:52 PM
07:52 7:52 AM
5 h behind Samarkand
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
573,200
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to UZS – Uzbekistani Som Converter

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11,960 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.36 USD). 1 EUR = 13,311 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.51 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Samarkand Lisbon 6,350 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Samarkand
  • 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
Samarkand vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Samarkand and in Lisbon?
Samarkand and Lisbon differ by about 248% in total monthly costs ($636 vs $2,210 including rent). Samarkand is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Samarkand. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Samarkand and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $239 in Samarkand versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Samarkand and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $380 in Samarkand versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $636 in Samarkand versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Samarkand but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Samarkand the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Samarkand and Lisbon?
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.
Is Samarkand or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Samarkand 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.
Where should expats move: Samarkand or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Samarkand gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Samarkand vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?