TL;DRLjubljana is 31% cheaper on rent ($1,118/mo vs $1,616/mo). Lisbon has milder winters (48°F vs 30°F lows). You can get by in English in both — your Duolingo streak can wait.

Lisbon and Ljubljana are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin.

How the livability score breaks down

Lisbon

Ljubljana

13.3/25

💰 Affordability

18.1/25

14.3/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.4/15

6.7/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

7.8/10

15/15

⚡ Internet

9.7/15

12.1/15

🗳️ Democracy

11.7/15

8.7/10

🗣️ English

8.7/10

8.8/10

☀️ Climate

9/10

7.6/10

📊 Stability

8/10

7.5/10

🚗 Road Safety

4.3/10

8.5/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

8.4/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

Heads

🇵🇹 Lisbon

Full profile, in case the coin says so.

Tails

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Lisbon vs Porto

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Lisbon

Metric

Ljubljana

✓$567/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$701/mo

$7,362

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

—

83 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

86 / 100

0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.6 / 100k✓

7.2 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

—

67 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

78 / 100✓

81°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

81°F

48°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

30°F

✓238 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

130 Mbps

10.6 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

—

81 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

—

8.1 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

7.8 / 10

✓6.7 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

4.4 / 9

✓67 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

50 / 100

72/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

72/100

$52k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$57k✓

2.4% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.0% · Boringly steady✓

78/100 — Mostly stable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

—

96/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

—

See exactly what you keep after taxes in each city

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated May 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Ljubljana

$498/mo cheaper on rent alone

Sun

How much sky you actually get

65% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

47% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.5h

Shortest day

Dec

8.8h

14.9h

Longest day

Jun

15.7h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

—

improving ↑

Inflation trend

—

fintechhealthtechgreentechai

Industries

—

active

Startup ecosystem

—

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

—

Easy

EU visa

—

Complex

RU visa

—

Moderate

UA visa

—

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

—

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

Partner pathway

Recognized

izvenzakonska skupnost (extramarital community)

€920/mo

Retiree visa

—

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

10 wk

Gestational limit

10 wk

On request up to 10 weeks since 2007 referendum. Mandatory 3-day reflection period.

On request up to 10 weeks. From 10-20 weeks, approval by a medical committee required.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Lisbon vs Ljubljana — Common Questions

Is Lisbon cheaper than Ljubljana?▾

Ljubljana is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1118/month there vs $1616/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Lisbon or Ljubljana?▾

Ljubljana is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Lisbon has a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 and Ljubljana has 0.57 per 100,000.

Should I move to Lisbon or Ljubljana?▾

Lisbon and Ljubljana are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Lisbon or Ljubljana?▾

Lisbon: Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 2 years (renewable for 3-year periods)). Ljubljana: no specific remote work visa. See each city's profile page for full requirements.

What's the cost of rent in Lisbon vs Ljubljana?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1118/month in Ljubljana, $1616/month in Lisbon (Numbeo). That's 31% cheaper rent in Ljubljana.