Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Smolyan and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolyan: $723 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Smolyan
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Smolyan Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Smolyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$723

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $723 in Smolyan versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Smolyan $723
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,156 in Smolyan versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Smolyan $1,156
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,589 in Smolyan versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Smolyan $1,589
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Smolyan costs roughly 67% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Smolyan is 47% below, Lisbon is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 BGN 11.17

$16.86 €15.00

-62.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.37 BGN 65.4

$61.0 €54.3

-38.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 BGN 10.14

$10.98 €9.77

-47.27%

Cappuccino

$1.32 BGN 2.32

$3.05 €2.71

-56.72%

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

$1.07 BGN 1.87

$2.28 €2.03

-53.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.36

$1.68 €1.50

-53.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 BGN 3.02

$3.44 €3.06

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 BGN 3.81

$3.91 €3.48

-44.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 BGN 3.06

$1.15 €1.02

52.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$1.89 €1.68

-50.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.03

$1.50 €1.34

15.33%

Eggs

$3.37 BGN 5.89

$4.12 €3.66

-18.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 BGN 17.89

$13.01 €11.57

-21.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 BGN 10.03

$8.04 €7.16

-28.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 BGN 15.11

$17.89 €15.92

-51.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.13 BGN 1.98

$2.27 €2.02

-50.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.74 €1.55

-0.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.82 €1.62

-36.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 BGN 4.05

$2.69 €2.39

-14.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$1.77 €1.57

-33.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 BGN 2.60

$1.94 €1.72

-23.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$1.46 €1.30

-36.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$0.76 €0.68

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 BGN 5.94

$6.66 €5.92

-48.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 BGN 9.72

$5.64 €5.02

-1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 BGN 1.04

$1.29 €1.15

-53.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.92

$2.14 €1.90

-21.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$2.30 €2.05

-61.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.36 BGN 56.6

$44.02 €39.17

-26.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 BGN 2.28

$3.98 €3.54

-67.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 BGN 1.04

$0.64 €0.57

-7.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 BGN 21.33

$18.93 €16.84

-35.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 BGN 2.69

$2.28 €2.03

-32.46%

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

$23.1K BGN 40.4K

$33.4K €29.7K

-30.81%

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

$23.4K BGN 40.9K

$38.5K €34.3K

-39.25%

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

$100 BGN 175

$158 €141

-36.75%

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

$14.39 BGN 25.18

$17.54 €15.61

-17.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.26 BGN 16.21

$31.18 €27.75

-70.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.86 BGN 38.26

$44.64 €39.73

-51.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.71 BGN 29.25

$18.98 €16.89

-11.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 BGN 13.38

$9.58 €8.52

-20.25%

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

$230 BGN 402

$674 €599

-65.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,915 BGN 10.4K

$18.7K €16.7K

-68.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.19 BGN 49.33

$102 €90.9

-72.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.01 BGN 36.77

$45.90 €40.85

-54.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.9 BGN 103

$102 €91.0

-42.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.8 BGN 110

$122 €109

-48.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 BGN 353

$1,641 €1,460

-87.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 BGN 247

$1,187 €1,057

-88.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 BGN 507

$2,825 €2,514

-89.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 BGN 417

$2,018 €1,796

-88.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,302 BGN 2,279

$7,836 €6,973

-83.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 BGN 1,910

$4,701 €4,183

-76.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$694 BGN 1,215

$1,687 €1,501

-58.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

3.82

-14.92%

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

Last update for Smolyan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Smolyan

$199 27.6%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 37.6% $75

Accommodation & Living

Smolyan

$141 19.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 740% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Smolyan

$124 17.1%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 67.3% $83

Eating Out

Smolyan

$105 14.5%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 134% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Smolyan

$77 10.6%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 118% $91

Getting Around

Smolyan

$40 5.6%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 50.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Smolyan

$37 5.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 71.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $202 in Smolyan and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.4 times 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: $37 in Smolyan vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $275 per month, with Smolyan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Smolyan

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

2 h behind Smolyan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,507

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.508 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.97 BGN (1 BGN = 0.508 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Smolyan Lisbon 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Smolyan
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

Smolyan vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $723 in Smolyan and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Smolyan is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Smolyan. 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: $202 in Smolyan versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $230 in Smolyan versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $723 in Smolyan versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Smolyan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Smolyan 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, Smolyan and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Smolyan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.