For one person, living is cheaper in Sari: $874 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sari and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $874 in Sari versus $2,210 in Lisbon.
Sari $874
Lisbon $2,210
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,080 in Sari versus $3,275 in Lisbon.
Sari $1,080
Lisbon $3,275
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,287 in Sari versus $4,341 in Lisbon.
Sari $1,287
Lisbon $4,341
🌍
Living in Sari costs roughly 60% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Sari is 36% below, Lisbon is 62% above.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Sari
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.55$3.55
$16.65€14.85
-78.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.80$11.80
$61.7€55.1
-80.89%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$4.08$4.08
$11.36€10.13
-64.08%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$0.68$0.68
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91$0.91
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.23$1.23
$2.97€2.65
-58.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48$0.48
$2.29€2.04
-79.04%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52$0.52
$1.74€1.55
-70.11%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.40€3.04
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.31€2.95
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sari
Lisbon
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.48$0.48
$1.16€1.03
-58.62%
White Bread(500g)
$0.60$0.60
$1.91€1.71
-68.59%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$3.32$3.32
$1.51€1.35
119.87%
Eggs
$1.23$1.23
$4.02€3.59
-69.40%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$4.48$4.48
$12.94€11.54
-65.38%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.46$3.46
$7.77€6.94
-55.47%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$9.25$9.25
$17.76€15.85
-47.92%
Apples(1kg)
$1.32$1.32
$2.30€2.06
-42.61%
Banana(1kg)
$1.88$1.88
$1.73€1.55
8.67%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.19$1.19
$1.86€1.66
-36.02%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.65$0.65
$2.59€2.31
-74.90%
Potato(1kg)
$0.59$0.59
$1.82€1.62
-67.58%
Onion(1kg)
$0.51$0.51
$1.97€1.76
-74.11%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.58$0.58
$1.47€1.31
-60.54%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30$0.30
$0.72€0.65
-58.33%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
$0.77$0.77
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$0.51$0.51
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15$2.15
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$2.44$2.44
$6.58€5.87
-62.92%
Wine(Bottle)
-
$5.61€5.00
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.36€1.22
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.14€1.91
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sari
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
-
$2.33€2.08
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$9.87$9.87
$44.68€39.86
-77.91%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.51$0.51
$3.85€3.43
-86.75%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.31$0.31
$1.07€0.95
-71.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$3.03$3.03
$16.46€14.69
-81.59%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$0.09$0.09
$2.20€1.96
-95.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.9K$50.9K
$34.2K€30.5K
49.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.1K$45.1K
$38.7K€34.5K
16.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sari
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$13.18$13.18
$161€144
-91.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$1.58$1.58
$18.41€16.43
-91.42%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$3.99$3.99
$32.74€29.21
-87.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sari
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$49.52$49.52
$44.55€39.74
11.16%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.93$11.93
$19.10€17.04
-37.54%
Cinema Ticket
$1.02$1.02
$9.60€8.56
-89.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sari
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$49.24$49.24
$668€596
-92.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$815$815
$17.6K€15.7K
-95.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sari
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.10$26.10
$102€91.0
-74.42%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.45$37.45
$44.46€39.67
-15.77%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$115$115
$98.5€87.9
16.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.5$73.5
$124€110
-40.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sari
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$794$794
$1,608€1,435
-50.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$497$497
$1,190€1,062
-58.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$693$693
$2,812€2,509
-75.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$401$401
$2,013€1,796
-80.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$857$857
$7,839€6,994
-89.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$526$526
$4,576€4,082
-88.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sari
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$248$248
$1,575€1,405
-84.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
24.79
3.85
543.90%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Sari: October 25, 2026
Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Sari
$497 56.8%
Lisbon
$1.2K 53.8% ↑ 140%$693
🛒Groceries & Markets
Sari
$122 14%
Lisbon
$272 12.3% ↑ 123%$150
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Sari
$113 13%
Lisbon
$166 7.5% ↑ 46.2%$52
🍽Eating Out
Sari
$59 6.8%
Lisbon
$243 11% ↑ 308%$183
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Sari
$52 5.9%
Lisbon
$64 2.9% ↑ 23.6%$12
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sari
$19 2.1%
Lisbon
$212 9.6% ↑ 1033%$194
🚌Getting Around
Sari
$12 * 1.4%
Lisbon
$63 2.9% ↑ 429%$51
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Sari
$401 31.2%
Lisbon
$2K 46.4% ↑ 402%$1.6K
🛒Groceries & Markets
Sari
$295 23%
Lisbon
$649 15% ↑ 120%$354
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Sari
$252 19.6%
Lisbon
$369 8.5% ↑ 46.2%$117
🍽Eating Out
Sari
$179 13.9%
Lisbon
$801 18.5% ↑ 348%$622
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Sari
$115 8.9%
Lisbon
$147 3.4% ↑ 27.4%$32
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sari
$20 1.6%
Lisbon
$231 5.3% ↑ 1036%$210
🚌Getting Around
Sari
$24 * 1.9%
Lisbon
$131 3% ↑ 449%$107
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $794 in Sari and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Lisbon pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.
🛒Dining out: $12 in Sari vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $272 per month, with Sari cheaper across the board.
Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.
City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Sari vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Sari and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $874 in Sari and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Sari is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 84% lower in Sari. 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 Sari and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $794 in Sari 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 Sari and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $49 in Sari 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 123% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $874 in Sari versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sari but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sari the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Sari 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 Sari or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Sari and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Sari or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Sari gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.