Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Smolensk and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolensk: $1,068 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Smolensk
Learn more

Smolensk Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Smolensk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,068

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,068 in Smolensk versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Smolensk $1,068
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,602 in Smolensk versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Smolensk $1,602
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,137 in Smolensk versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Smolensk $2,137
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Smolensk costs roughly 52% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Smolensk is 21% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.38 ₽867

$16.50 €14.67

-37.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.07 ₽2,677

$61.3 €54.5

-47.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.92 ₽577

$11.27 €10.03

-38.60%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₽211

$3.06 €2.72

-17.32%

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

$0.95 ₽79.6

$2.26 €2.01

-57.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₽46.12

$1.73 €1.54

-68.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 ₽145

$3.39 €3.02

-48.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ₽248

$3.40 €3.02

-12.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 ₽96.0

$1.12 €1.00

2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₽63.3

$1.86 €1.65

-59.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 ₽114

$1.53 €1.36

-11.11%

Eggs

$1.53 ₽128

$3.96 €3.53

-61.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 ₽942

$12.76 €11.35

-11.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 ₽428

$7.90 €7.02

-35.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ₽921

$16.97 €15.09

-35.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₽149

$2.27 €2.02

-21.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₽154

$1.75 €1.55

5.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$1.85 €1.64

-5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 ₽227

$2.57 €2.28

5.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₽68.3

$1.86 €1.65

-55.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 ₽46.80

$2.02 €1.80

-72.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ₽108

$1.44 €1.28

-9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₽56.3

$0.82 €0.73

-18.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 ₽259

$6.56 €5.83

-52.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.18 ₽599

$5.62 €5.00

27.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₽81.5

$1.28 €1.14

-23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₽156

$2.07 €1.84

-9.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 ₽47.15

$2.35 €2.09

-76.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 ₽178

$3.99 €3.55

-46.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₽27.20

$1.09 €0.97

-69.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 ₽415

$16.64 €14.81

-70.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₽69.9

$2.28 €2.03

-63.16%

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

$32.4K ₽2.7M

$33.7K €30.0K

-3.81%

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

$34.7K ₽2.9M

$39.3K €35.0K

-11.66%

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

$135 ₽11.3K

$167 €149

-19.29%

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

$5.99 ₽500

$18.80 €16.72

-68.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.07 ₽757

$33.09 €29.43

-72.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.80 ₽2,654

$46.01 €40.93

-30.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.76 ₽1,983

$19.19 €17.07

23.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 ₽529

$9.84 €8.75

-35.57%

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

$338 ₽28.2K

$677 €602

-50.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,938 ₽579.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-59.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 ₽7,567

$101 €90.1

-10.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 ₽4,292

$45.76 €40.70

12.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 ₽11.0K

$100.0 €88.9

31.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ₽8,590

$123 €109

-16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 ₽40.6K

$1,614 €1,436

-69.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$339 ₽28.3K

$1,197 €1,065

-71.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 ₽65.8K

$2,862 €2,545

-72.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 ₽44.0K

$1,990 €1,770

-73.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,481 ₽207.1K

$7,577 €6,740

-67.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,309 ₽109.2K

$4,307 €3,831

-69.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$753 ₽62.9K

$1,588 €1,412

-52.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.45

3.85

457.14%

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

Last update for Smolensk: 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

Smolensk

$339 31.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 253% $858

Groceries & Markets

Smolensk

$204 19.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 32.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Smolensk

$170 15.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1.9% $3.3

Eating Out

Smolensk

$155 14.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 56.4% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Smolensk

$150 14.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 46% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Smolensk

$44 4.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 47.7% $21

Getting Around

Smolensk

$6 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 947% $57

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 $487 in Smolensk and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 111% 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: $32.00 in Smolensk vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $269 per month, with Smolensk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Smolensk

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

00:24 12:24 AM

2 h behind Smolensk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,495

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Smolensk Lisbon 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Smolensk
Lisbon

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

Smolensk vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Smolensk and Lisbon differ by about 108% in total monthly costs ($1,068 vs $2,223 including rent). Smolensk is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 111% 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: $487 in Smolensk versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,068 per month in Smolensk versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 108% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,068 in Smolensk versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Smolensk but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Smolensk 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, Smolensk 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 Smolensk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.