Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shymkent and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $808 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$808

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $808 in Shymkent versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Shymkent $808
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,390 in Shymkent versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Shymkent $1,390
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,971 in Shymkent versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Shymkent $1,971
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Shymkent costs roughly 63% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shymkent is 40% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.25 ₸5,086

$17.04 €15.15

-33.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.35 ₸15.1K

$62.3 €55.4

-46.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.50 ₸2,938

$11.02 €9.80

-41.02%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₸1,147

$3.12 €2.78

-18.59%

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

$1.03 ₸467

$2.27 €2.02

-54.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₸246

$1.74 €1.55

-68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ₸492

$3.42 €3.04

-68.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₸609

$3.74 €3.33

-63.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ₸661

$1.17 €1.04

24.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 ₸184

$1.86 €1.66

-77.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ₸811

$1.54 €1.37

16.23%

Eggs

$1.73 ₸783

$4.06 €3.61

-57.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 ₸4,538

$12.91 €11.49

-22.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 ₸2,376

$7.90 €7.03

-33.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 ₸4,059

$17.64 €15.69

-49.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ₸538

$2.26 €2.01

-47.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 ₸957

$1.75 €1.55

21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 ₸1,166

$1.89 €1.68

36.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 ₸610

$2.56 €2.27

-47.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ₸250

$1.85 €1.64

-70.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₸184

$1.97 €1.75

-79.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 ₸397

$1.45 €1.29

-39.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸376

$0.77 €0.69

7.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₸1,114

$6.71 €5.97

-63.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.55 ₸2,057

$5.67 €5.04

-19.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ₸466

$1.37 €1.22

-24.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₸683

$2.11 €1.88

-28.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ₸64.0

$2.32 €2.07

-93.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 ₸395

$3.95 €3.51

-77.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₸156

$1.05 €0.93

-67.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 ₸4,532

$17.15 €15.26

-41.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 ₸291

$2.19 €1.95

-70.78%

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

$27.2K ₸12.3M

$33.8K €30.0K

-19.55%

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

$29.0K ₸13.1M

$38.3K €34.0K

-24.08%

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

$47.29 ₸21.4K

$164 €146

-71.13%

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

$9.60 ₸4,338

$18.48 €16.43

-48.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.79 ₸6,685

$32.96 €29.32

-55.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.82 ₸17.5K

$45.87 €40.80

-15.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.82 ₸3,986

$18.68 €16.61

-52.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 ₸2,567

$9.75 €8.67

-41.74%

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

$57.8 ₸26.1K

$684 €608

-91.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.55 ₸17.0K

$104 €92.3

-63.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.85 ₸15.3K

$46.20 €41.09

-26.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$187 ₸84.4K

$99.7 €88.7

87.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.9 ₸23.9K

$125 €111

-57.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 ₸153.0K

$1,589 €1,414

-78.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 ₸92.0K

$1,169 €1,040

-82.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 ₸315.6K

$2,851 €2,536

-75.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 ₸246.2K

$1,993 €1,773

-72.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,104 ₸499.1K

$7,793 €6,932

-85.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$986 ₸445.6K

$4,418 €3,930

-77.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 ₸199.6K

$1,600 €1,423

-72.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

3.85

374.03%

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

Last update for Shymkent: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shymkent

$203 25.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 475% $966

Groceries & Markets

Shymkent

$185 22.9%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 47.5% $88

Eating Out

Shymkent

$154 19.1%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 60.3% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Shymkent

$140 17.3%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 20.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shymkent

$72 8.9%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 200% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Shymkent

$50 6.2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 30.3% $15

Getting Around

Shymkent

$3.2 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 1891% $60

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 $338 in Shymkent and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 262% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $33.00 in Shymkent vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $273 per month, with Shymkent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

5 h behind Shymkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,222,055

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shymkent Lisbon 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Shymkent
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

Shymkent vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shymkent and Lisbon differ by about 173% in total monthly costs ($808 vs $2,202 including rent). Shymkent is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 262% lower in Lisbon. 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: $338 in Shymkent versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $808 per month in Shymkent versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 173% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $808 in Shymkent versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent 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, Shymkent 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 Shymkent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 173% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.