Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Split and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Split: $1,822 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Split
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Split Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Split

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,822

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Split versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Split $1,822
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,797 in Split versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Split $2,797
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,771 in Split versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Split $3,771
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Split costs roughly 18% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Split 35% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.4 €65.3

$61.3 €54.5

19.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$11.27 €10.02

0.44%

Cappuccino

$2.74 €2.44

$3.06 €2.72

-10.46%

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

$4.10 €3.65

$2.26 €2.01

81.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.73 €1.54

65.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 €4.12

$3.39 €3.02

36.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 €4.58

$3.40 €3.02

51.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.12 €1.00

13.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.86 €1.65

14.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 €3.19

$1.53 €1.36

134.64%

Eggs

$4.15 €3.70

$3.96 €3.53

4.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.87 €12.34

$12.76 €11.35

8.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 €8.53

$7.90 €7.02

21.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 €11.72

$16.97 €15.09

-22.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.27 €2.02

-6.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.75 €1.55

5.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.85 €1.64

2.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.57 €2.28

11.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.86 €1.65

-14.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.02 €1.80

-43.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.44 €1.28

-9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.82 €0.73

52.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.72 €5.09

$6.56 €5.83

-12.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.09 €8.08

$5.62 €5.00

61.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.28 €1.14

35.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.05

$2.07 €1.84

11.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.35 €2.09

-29.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.56 €35.18

$44.18 €39.29

-10.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 €3.20

$3.99 €3.55

-10.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.09 €0.97

92.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.27 €26.03

$16.64 €14.80

75.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.28 €2.03

-18.86%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

-16.32%

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

$24.9K €22.1K

$39.3K €34.9K

-36.67%

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

$207 €184

$167 €149

23.33%

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

$19.93 €17.72

$18.80 €16.72

6.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.20 €36.64

$33.09 €29.43

24.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 €55.3

$46.01 €40.92

35.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.92 €11.50

$19.19 €17.07

-32.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 €8.14

$9.84 €8.75

-7.01%

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

$604 €537

$677 €602

-10.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.5K

$16.9K €15.0K

-29.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.3 €82.1

$101 €90.0

-8.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.17 €35.73

$45.76 €40.70

-12.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.7

$100.0 €88.9

12.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 €85.5

$123 €109

-21.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 €911

$1,614 €1,435

-36.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 €626

$1,197 €1,065

-41.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,942 €1,727

$2,862 €2,545

-32.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 €1,134

$1,990 €1,770

-35.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,185 €6,391

$7,577 €6,739

-5.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,032 €4,476

$4,307 €3,831

16.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 €1,402

$1,588 €1,412

-0.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

3.85

-10.65%

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

Last update for Split: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Split

$704 38.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 70% $493

Groceries & Markets

Split

$296 16.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 9.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Split

$268 14.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 18% $48

Eating Out

Split

$260 14.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 6.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Split

$153 8.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Split

$80 4.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 18.4% $15

Getting Around

Split

$60 3.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 4.6% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,024 in Split and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 1% 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: $73.0 in Split vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $296 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Split

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

15:45 3:45 PM

1 h behind Split

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,830

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Split Lisbon 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Split
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

Split vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Split and Lisbon differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,822 vs $2,223 including rent). Split is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% 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: $1,024 in Split versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $604 in Split versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,822 in Split versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Split but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Split 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, Split 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 Split gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.