Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timisoara and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Timisoara: $1,197 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,197

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,197 in Timisoara versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Timisoara $1,197
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,776 in Timisoara versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Timisoara $1,776
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,354 in Timisoara versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Timisoara $2,354
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Timisoara costs roughly 46% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Timisoara is 12% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.64 RON 51.1

$16.65 €14.95

-36.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.12 RON 222

$61.7 €55.5

-25.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 RON 40.56

$11.36 €10.20

-25.70%

Cappuccino

$3.02 RON 14.52

$2.97 €2.67

1.68%

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

$2.20 RON 10.59

$2.29 €2.06

-3.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 RON 7.89

$1.74 €1.56

-5.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 RON 12.99

$3.40 €3.06

-20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.72

$3.31 €2.97

23.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RON 6.60

$1.16 €1.04

18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 RON 5.76

$1.91 €1.72

-37.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.63

$1.51 €1.36

-8.61%

Eggs

$2.92 RON 14.02

$4.02 €3.61

-27.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.40 RON 40.39

$12.94 €11.62

-35.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 RON 28.28

$7.77 €6.98

-24.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 RON 52.3

$17.76 €15.95

-38.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.53

$2.30 €2.07

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 RON 7.02

$1.73 €1.56

-15.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.73

$1.86 €1.67

-24.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 RON 11.40

$2.59 €2.33

-8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.70

$1.82 €1.64

-57.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 RON 4.62

$1.97 €1.77

-51.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 RON 3.08

$1.47 €1.32

-56.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 RON 3.77

$0.72 €0.65

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 RON 30.02

$6.58 €5.91

-5.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 RON 35.88

$5.61 €5.04

32.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 RON 5.46

$1.36 €1.22

-16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.41

$2.14 €1.92

-18.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.14

$2.33 €2.10

-54.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.33 RON 160

$44.68 €40.14

-25.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 RON 4.06

$3.85 €3.46

-78.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$1.07 €0.96

-18.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 RON 40.37

$16.46 €14.79

-48.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.14

$2.20 €1.98

-13.64%

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

$28.9K RON 138.8K

$34.2K €30.7K

-15.54%

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

$24.8K RON 119.0K

$38.7K €34.8K

-36.08%

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

$168 RON 806

$161 €145

4.05%

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

$6.72 RON 32.30

$18.41 €16.54

-63.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.47 RON 40.70

$32.74 €29.41

-74.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.08 RON 193

$44.55 €40.02

-10.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 RON 75.2

$19.10 €17.16

-18.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 RON 37.78

$9.60 €8.62

-18.12%

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

$583 RON 2,801

$668 €600

-12.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,900 RON 42.8K

$17.6K €15.8K

-49.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 RON 364

$102 €91.6

-25.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.89 RON 187

$44.46 €39.94

-12.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 RON 363

$98.5 €88.5

-23.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 RON 429

$124 €111

-27.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 RON 2,729

$1,608 €1,445

-64.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 RON 1,940

$1,190 €1,069

-66.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 RON 3,854

$2,812 €2,526

-71.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 RON 2,881

$2,013 €1,808

-70.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 RON 12.8K

$7,839 €7,042

-66.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,847 RON 8,877

$4,576 €4,110

-59.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,151 RON 5,532

$1,575 €1,415

-26.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

3.85

78.70%

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

Last update for Timisoara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timisoara

$404 33.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 195% $786

Groceries & Markets

Timisoara

$202 16.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 34.5% $70

Eating Out

Timisoara

$184 15.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 32% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timisoara

$183 15.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 16.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Timisoara

$126 10.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 32% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Timisoara

$56 4.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 14.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Timisoara

$43 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 47.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $568 in Timisoara and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 37% 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: $46 in Timisoara vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $272 per month, with Timisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

2 h behind Timisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,279

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Timisoara Lisbon 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Timisoara
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

Timisoara vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timisoara and Lisbon differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($1,197 vs $2,210 including rent). Timisoara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Timisoara. 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: $568 in Timisoara versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $583 in Timisoara versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,197 in Timisoara versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Timisoara but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Timisoara 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, Timisoara 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 Timisoara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.