Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tehran and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehran: $627 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$627

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $627 in Tehran versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Tehran $627
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,074 in Tehran versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Tehran $1,074
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,521 in Tehran versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Tehran $1,521
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Tehran costs roughly 72% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tehran is 54% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 $3.84

$16.50 €14.67

-76.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.95 $17.95

$61.3 €54.5

-70.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.02 $4.02

$11.27 €10.03

-64.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

Cappuccino

$1.34 $1.34

$3.06 €2.72

-56.21%

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

$0.53 $0.53

$2.26 €2.01

-76.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.73 €1.54

0.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.12 €1.00

-37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 $0.58

$1.86 €1.65

-68.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.53 €1.36

125.49%

Eggs

$1.23 $1.23

$3.96 €3.53

-68.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$12.76 €11.35

-65.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$7.90 €7.02

-56.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 $10.15

$16.97 €15.09

-40.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.27 €2.02

-40.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.75 €1.55

11.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.85 €1.64

-35.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 $0.68

$2.57 €2.28

-73.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.86 €1.65

-70.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 $0.51

$2.02 €1.80

-74.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 $0.53

$1.44 €1.28

-63.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 $0.28

$0.82 €0.73

-65.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 $2.54

$6.56 €5.83

-61.28%

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)

$0.09 $0.09

$2.35 €2.09

-96.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.66 $5.66

$44.18 €39.30

-87.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 $0.48

$3.99 €3.55

-87.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.09 €0.97

-73.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$16.64 €14.81

-81.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$2.28 €2.03

-96.05%

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

$50.5K $50.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

50.04%

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

$44.2K $44.2K

$39.3K €35.0K

12.58%

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

$13.03 $13.03

$167 €149

-92.22%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$18.80 €16.72

-91.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.62 $3.62

$33.09 €29.43

-89.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.77 $24.77

$46.01 €40.93

-46.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.60 $13.60

$19.19 €17.07

-29.13%

Cinema Ticket

$1.95 $1.95

$9.84 €8.75

-80.18%

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

$108 $108

$677 €602

-84.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,628 $2,628

$16.9K €15.1K

-84.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.05 $27.05

$101 €90.1

-73.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.32 $37.32

$45.76 €40.70

-18.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$100.0 €88.9

17.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.8 $74.8

$123 €109

-39.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 $424

$1,614 €1,436

-73.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 $262

$1,197 €1,065

-78.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 $945

$2,862 €2,545

-66.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 $625

$1,990 €1,770

-68.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,247 $1,247

$7,577 €6,740

-83.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$723 $723

$4,307 €3,831

-83.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$210 $210

$1,588 €1,412

-86.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

3.85

543.90%

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

Last update for Tehran: 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

Tehran

$262 41.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 358% $935

Groceries & Markets

Tehran

$127 20.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 112% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Tehran

$115 18.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 44.1% $51

Eating Out

Tehran

$68 10.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 257% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Tehran

$29 4.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 129% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tehran

$18 2.9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 1103% $201

Getting Around

Tehran

$8 1.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 693% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $424 in Tehran and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 655% 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: $18.00 in Tehran vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $127 vs $269 per month, with Tehran cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Tehran

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

2 h 30 min behind Tehran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000,000 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Tehran Lisbon 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tehran
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

Tehran vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tehran and Lisbon differ by about 255% in total monthly costs ($627 vs $2,223 including rent). Tehran is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 655% 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: $424 in Tehran versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $108 in Tehran 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 112% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $627 in Tehran versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tehran but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tehran 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, Tehran 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 Tehran gentler on the wallet – expenses run 255% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.