Cost of Living Comparison Between Vac and Lisbon Cost of Living Comparison Between Vac and Lisbon

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,122 in Vac versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,777 in Vac versus $3,311 in Lisbon.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,431 in Vac versus $4,411 in Lisbon.

Living in Vac costs roughly 49% less than in Lisbon, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vac is 16% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 Ft 2,685

$15.91 €13.69

-44.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.58 Ft 14.2K

$64.8 €55.7

-28.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.45 Ft 2,577

$10.51 €9.04

-19.60%

Cappuccino

$2.14 Ft 653

$2.87 €2.47

-25.44%

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

$1.44 Ft 438

$2.24 €1.93

-35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 Ft 329

$1.50 €1.29

-28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 Ft 577

$3.49 €3.00

-45.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 Ft 694

$3.88 €3.34

-41.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 Ft 324

$1.14 €0.98

-7.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 Ft 471

$1.75 €1.51

-12.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 Ft 585

$1.76 €1.51

9.09%

Eggs

$2.69 Ft 820

$3.22 €2.77

-16.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 Ft 2,790

$13.49 €11.61

-32.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.83 Ft 1,777

$7.91 €6.81

-26.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.88 Ft 3,625

$15.87 €13.65

-25.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 Ft 571

$2.31 €1.99

-19.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 Ft 577

$1.70 €1.46

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 623

$2.01 €1.73

1.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 Ft 952

$2.46 €2.12

26.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 Ft 335

$1.84 €1.59

-40.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 Ft 382

$2.00 €1.72

-37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 Ft 457

$1.93 €1.66

-22.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 Ft 172

$0.79 €0.68

-29.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 Ft 2,029

$6.61 €5.68

0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 Ft 1,658

$5.72 €4.92

-4.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 Ft 333

$1.37 €1.17

-20.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 Ft 431

$2.97 €2.56

-52.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 Ft 347

$2.37 €2.04

-51.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 Ft 7,588

$45.56 €39.19

-45.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 Ft 904

$4.29 €3.69

-30.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 Ft 337

$0.82 €0.70

35.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.31 Ft 5,280

$18.30 €15.74

-5.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 Ft 539

$2.06 €1.78

-14.08%

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

$26.2K Ft 8.0M

$34.3K €29.5K

-23.46%

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

$30.6K Ft 9.3M

$39.3K €33.8K

-22.19%

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

$141 Ft 42.9K

$148 €127

-4.85%

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

$26.12 Ft 7,965

$20.52 €17.65

27.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.74 Ft 6,021

$39.61 €34.08

-50.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.11 Ft 14.4K

$47.85 €41.16

-1.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 Ft 5,177

$18.92 €16.28

-10.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 Ft 2,224

$9.18 €7.90

-20.59%

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

$300 Ft 91.4K

$614 €528

-51.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,697 Ft 2.0M

$16.0K €13.8K

-58.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 Ft 21.7K

$105 €90.0

-32.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 Ft 8,463

$42.06 €36.18

-34.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 Ft 22.4K

$94.0 €80.8

-21.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 Ft 25.9K

$120 €103

-29.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 Ft 132.8K

$1,628 €1,400

-73.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 Ft 104.1K

$1,255 €1,080

-72.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 Ft 233.7K

$3,030 €2,607

-74.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$705 Ft 215.1K

$2,020 €1,738

-65.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,233 Ft 985.9K

$7,800 €6,709

-58.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,480 Ft 756.4K

$4,273 €3,675

-41.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,534 Ft 468.0K

$1,603 €1,379

-4.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.4

3.81

94.23%

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

Last update for Vac: May 31, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $436 in Vac and $1,628 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 4% 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: $47.00 in Vac vs $65.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $219 vs $269 per month, with Vac cheaper across the board.

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

Vac vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vac and Lisbon differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($1,122 vs $2,210 including rent). Vac is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Lisbon earns 4% less. 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: $436 in Vac versus $1,628 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $300 in Vac versus $614 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,122 in Vac versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vac but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Vac 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, Vac 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 Vac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.