Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Van and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Van, Turkey
Lisbon, Portugal
Van
🇹🇷 Turkey
$956
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in Van versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Van $956
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,536 in Van versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Van $1,536
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,116 in Van versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Van $2,116
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Van costs roughly 57% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Van is 30% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Van
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.48 ₺373
$16.65 €14.95
-55.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.59 ₺1,724
$61.7 €55.5
-43.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.93 ₺395
$11.36 €10.20
-30.19%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₺178
$2.97 €2.67
20.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 ₺56.6
$2.29 €2.06
-50.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 ₺21.18
$1.74 €1.56
-75.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.33 ₺166
$3.40 €3.06
-2.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 ₺154
$3.31 €2.97
-6.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Van
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.96 ₺47.68
$1.16 €1.04
-17.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.00 ₺49.81
$1.91 €1.72
-47.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 ₺112
$1.51 €1.36
49.01%
Eggs
$1.48 ₺73.9
$4.02 €3.61
-63.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.99 ₺448
$12.94 €11.62
-30.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.07 ₺203
$7.77 €6.98
-47.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.62 ₺1,127
$17.76 €15.95
27.36%
Apples (1kg)
$1.82 ₺90.9
$2.30 €2.07
-20.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 ₺91.1
$1.73 €1.56
5.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.09 ₺54.4
$1.86 €1.67
-41.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 ₺57.4
$2.59 €2.33
-55.60%
Potato (1kg)
$0.52 ₺25.74
$1.82 €1.64
-71.43%
Onion (1kg)
$0.35 ₺17.45
$1.97 €1.77
-82.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.74 ₺36.88
$1.47 €1.32
-49.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ₺30.54
$0.72 €0.65
-15.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.16 ₺108
$6.58 €5.91
-67.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.36 ₺516
$5.61 €5.04
84.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 ₺100.0
$1.36 €1.22
47.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ₺139
$2.14 €1.92
30.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Van
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.73 ₺36.60
$2.33 €2.10
-68.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.68 €40.14
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.30 ₺64.6
$3.85 €3.46
-66.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.76 ₺37.86
$1.07 €0.96
-28.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.21 ₺359
$16.46 €14.79
-56.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 ₺64.0
$2.20 €1.98
-41.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.2K ₺2.1M
$34.2K €30.7K
23.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.9K ₺1.9M
$38.7K €34.8K
0.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Van
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.9 ₺3,982
$161 €145
-50.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.46 ₺522
$18.41 €16.54
-43.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.39 ₺667
$32.74 €29.41
-59.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Van
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.0 ₺2,842
$44.55 €40.02
27.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.10 €17.16
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ₺324
$9.60 €8.62
-32.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Van
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$624 ₺31.1K
$668 €600
-6.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K ₺566.2K
$17.6K €15.8K
-35.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Van
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.86 ₺2,285
$102 €91.6
-55.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.35 ₺1,662
$44.46 €39.94
-24.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.7 ₺3,970
$98.5 €88.5
-19.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.8 ₺4,426
$124 €111
-28.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Van
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$469 ₺23.4K
$1,608 €1,445
-70.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$278 ₺13.9K
$1,190 €1,069
-76.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$816 ₺40.7K
$2,812 €2,526
-70.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$586 ₺29.2K
$2,013 €1,808
-70.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,491 ₺74.3K
$7,839 €7,042
-80.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$968 ₺48.2K
$4,576 €4,110
-78.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Van
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,575 €1,415
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
41.33
3.85
973.51%

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

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Van
$278
Lisbon
$1.2K 328% $912
Groceries & Markets
Van
$229
Lisbon
$272 19% $44
Eating Out
Van
$156
Lisbon
$243 56% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Van
$111
Lisbon
$166 48.8% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Van
$104
Lisbon
$212 105% $109
Sport & Entertainment
Van
$70
Lisbon
$64 9% $6.3
Getting Around
Van
$8 *
Lisbon
$63 687% $55

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 $469 in Van and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Van vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $272 per month, with Van cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Van
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
21:38 9:38 PM
18:38 6:38 PM
3 h behind Van
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,141,015
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Van Lisbon 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Van
  • 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
Van vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Van and in Lisbon?
Van and Lisbon differ by about 131% in total monthly costs ($956 vs $2,210 including rent). Van is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Van compared to Lisbon?
You’d need roughly $1,434 in Van and $3,315 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Van and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $469 in Van versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Van or Lisbon?
All in, you’ll spend $956 per month in Van versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 131% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How does quality of life compare between Van and Lisbon?
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.
Is Van or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Van 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.

Van vs other spots: cost of living compared

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