Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,838 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,838

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,838 in Sharjah versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Sharjah $1,838
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,578 in Sharjah versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Sharjah $2,578
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,318 in Sharjah versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Sharjah $3,318
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Sharjah costs roughly 17% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sharjah 36% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 AED 21.90

$16.50 €14.67

-63.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.28 AED 122

$61.3 €54.5

-45.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$11.27 €10.03

-29.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.68 AED 35.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 AED 35.05

Cappuccino

$3.17 AED 11.64

$3.06 €2.72

3.59%

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

$0.78 AED 2.87

$2.26 €2.01

-65.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 AED 1.06

$1.73 €1.54

-83.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 AED 5.63

$1.12 €1.00

36.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 AED 4.18

$1.86 €1.65

-38.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 AED 6.71

$1.53 €1.36

19.61%

Eggs

$3.33 AED 12.22

$3.96 €3.53

-15.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 AED 32.80

$12.76 €11.35

-30.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 AED 25.03

$7.90 €7.02

-13.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.29 AED 41.46

$16.97 €15.09

-33.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 AED 7.99

$2.27 €2.02

-4.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 AED 6.15

$1.75 €1.55

-4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 AED 4.98

$1.85 €1.64

-27.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 AED 4.56

$2.57 €2.28

-51.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 AED 3.80

$1.86 €1.65

-44.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.96

$2.02 €1.80

-46.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 AED 5.47

$1.44 €1.28

3.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 AED 2.21

$0.82 €0.73

-26.83%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.47 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 AED 8.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 AED 9.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.38 AED 23.42

$6.56 €5.83

-2.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 AED 8.18

$2.35 €2.09

-5.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.05 AED 99.3

$44.18 €39.30

-38.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 AED 13.45

$3.99 €3.55

-8.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 AED 2.03

$1.09 €0.97

-49.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.78 AED 43.26

$16.64 €14.81

-29.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 AED 3.40

$2.28 €2.03

-59.21%

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

$46.1K AED 169.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

36.95%

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

$21.7K AED 79.9K

$39.3K €35.0K

-44.66%

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

$211 AED 774

$167 €149

25.91%

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

$49.45 AED 182

$18.80 €16.72

163.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.0 AED 360

$33.09 €29.43

196.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 AED 198

$46.01 €40.93

17.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.30 AED 81.9

$19.19 €17.07

16.21%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 AED 50.9

$9.84 €8.75

40.85%

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

$329 AED 1,210

$677 €602

-51.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,480 AED 31.1K

$16.9K €15.1K

-49.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 AED 217

$101 €90.1

-41.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.7 AED 285

$45.76 €40.70

69.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 AED 404

$100.0 €88.9

9.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 AED 354

$123 €109

-21.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 AED 3,033

$1,614 €1,436

-48.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$894 AED 3,285

$1,197 €1,065

-25.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 AED 6,730

$2,862 €2,545

-35.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 AED 5,228

$1,990 €1,770

-28.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,099 AED 29.7K

$7,577 €6,740

6.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 AED 10.2K

$4,307 €3,831

-35.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,187 AED 8,031

$1,588 €1,412

37.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

3.85

16.88%

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

Last update for Sharjah: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharjah

$894 48.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 33.8% $303

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$358 19.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 38.8% $139

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$193 10.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 39.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$154 8.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 7.8% $12

Eating Out

Sharjah

$114 6.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 113% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$82 4.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 19.5% $16

Getting Around

Sharjah

$42 2.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 48.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $826 in Sharjah and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sharjah pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Sharjah vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $269 per month, with Sharjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

09:03 9:03 AM

3 h behind Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sharjah Lisbon 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sharjah
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

Sharjah vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sharjah and Lisbon differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,838 vs $2,223 including rent). Sharjah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Sharjah, 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: $826 in Sharjah versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $329 in Sharjah versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,838 in Sharjah versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sharjah but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sharjah 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, Sharjah 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 Sharjah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.