Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulsan and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulsan: $1,339 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
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Ulsan Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,339 in Ulsan versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Ulsan $1,339
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,185 in Ulsan versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Ulsan $2,185
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,030 in Ulsan versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Ulsan $3,030
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Ulsan costs roughly 40% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ulsan is 1% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 ₩10.1K

$16.50 €14.67

-53.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.63 ₩59.3K

$61.3 €54.5

-27.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ₩7,882

$11.27 €10.03

-47.38%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₩4,410

$3.06 €2.72

8.50%

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

$0.88 ₩1,175

$2.26 €2.01

-61.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₩619

$1.73 €1.54

-72.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₩4,006

$3.39 €3.02

-11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₩5,826

$3.40 €3.02

28.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,139

$1.12 €1.00

110.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,315

$1.86 €1.65

74.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ₩4,207

$1.53 €1.36

106.54%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$3.96 €3.53

-31.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.5K

$12.76 €11.35

-14.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.1K

$7.90 €7.02

34.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.54 ₩32.6K

$16.97 €15.09

44.61%

Apples (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$2.27 €2.02

401.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.74 ₩4,975

$1.75 €1.55

113.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.09 ₩10.8K

$1.85 €1.64

337.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.05 ₩8,048

$2.57 €2.28

135.41%

Potato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩7,992

$1.86 €1.65

223.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,328

$2.02 €1.80

61.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 ₩3,844

$1.44 €1.28

100.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,707

$0.82 €0.73

56.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₩4,154

$6.56 €5.83

-52.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.52 ₩24.6K

$5.62 €5.00

229.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₩3,264

$1.28 €1.14

91.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ₩4,577

$2.07 €1.84

66.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,511

$2.35 €2.09

-51.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 ₩3,849

$3.99 €3.55

-27.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,040

$1.09 €0.97

-28.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 ₩22.6K

$16.64 €14.81

1.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,899

$2.28 €2.03

-37.28%

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

$30.0K ₩39.9M

$33.7K €30.0K

-10.87%

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

$34.1K ₩45.4M

$39.3K €35.0K

-13.13%

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

$197 ₩261.8K

$167 €149

17.55%

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

$37.06 ₩49.3K

$18.80 €16.72

97.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩36.2K

$33.09 €29.43

-17.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ₩80.3K

$46.01 €40.93

31.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$9.84 €8.75

4.67%

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

$263 ₩349.3K

$677 €602

-61.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$16.9K €15.1K

30.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₩68.5K

$101 €90.1

-49.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 ₩60.6K

$45.76 €40.70

-0.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ₩81.2K

$100.0 €88.9

-38.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ₩99.7K

$123 €109

-38.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₩495.3K

$1,614 €1,436

-76.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ₩324.7K

$1,197 €1,065

-79.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$2,862 €2,545

-73.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₩861.8K

$1,990 €1,770

-67.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,483 ₩6.0M

$7,577 €6,740

-40.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,479 ₩3.3M

$4,307 €3,831

-42.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,331 ₩3.1M

$1,588 €1,412

46.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.85

9.61%

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

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ulsan

$489 36.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 44.9% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulsan

$261 19.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 16% $42

Accommodation & Living

Ulsan

$244 18.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 390% $953

Eating Out

Ulsan

$148 11%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 63.9% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Ulsan

$105 7.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 58.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Ulsan

$81 6.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 18.9% $15

Getting Around

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 455% $52

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 $373 in Ulsan and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulsan pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Ulsan vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $489 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

21:30 9:30 PM

8 h behind Ulsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,129,827

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ulsan Lisbon 10,720 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulsan
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

Ulsan vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulsan and Lisbon differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,339 vs $2,223 including rent). Ulsan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Ulsan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $373 in Ulsan versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 81% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,339 per month in Ulsan versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,339 in Ulsan versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ulsan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ulsan 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, Ulsan 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 Ulsan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.