LisbonvsRiga
💰
Riga saves you $600/month
27% cheaper on rent, food & transport
📶
Riga has 2x faster internet
200 Mbps avg download speed
🌡️
Mediterranean vs Temperate climate
Different weather patterns year-round
🛂
Portugal offers a digital nomad visa
Long-stay visa for remote workers
💰 Cost of Living Breakdown
Monthly expenses comparison in USD
Expense
Lisbon
Riga
Total Budget
$2,200/mo
$1,600/mo ✓
Rent (1BR)
$800/mo
$550/mo ✓
Coworking
$200/mo
$180/mo ✓
Meal Out
$12
$9 ✓
Coffee
$1.5 ✓
$3
Riga is $600/mo cheaper (38% savings)
💻 Remote Work Essentials
Internet, timezone, and language comparison
🇵🇹 Lisbon
📶 Internet100 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC-1
🗣️ Englishhigh
🛂 Nomad VisaAvailable
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West4h
🇺🇸 US East7h
🇬🇧 London8h
🇩🇪 Berlin8h
🌍 Riga
📶 Internet200 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+2
🗣️ Englishhigh
🛂 Nomad VisaNot available
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West1h
🇺🇸 US East4h
🇬🇧 London8h
🇩🇪 Berlin8h
🌡️ Climate Comparison
Weather patterns and best times to visit
Lisbon
ClimateMediterranean
Avg Temp18°C
Rainy Days83/year
Best months: June, July, August, May
Riga
ClimateTemperate
Avg Temp9°C
Rainy Days155/year
Best months: September
Quarterly Temperatures
Jan
13°-1°
Apr
17°8°
Jul
23°19°
Oct
20°8°
LisbonRiga
📊 Full Comparison
Category
🇵🇹Lisbon
🌍Riga
💰
Monthly Budget
$2,200
$1,600
Winner📶
Internet Speed
100 Mbps
200 Mbps
Winner🛡️
Safety
4.3/5
4.3/5
⭐
Nomad Score
4.5/10
Winner4.1/10
🍽️
Food Scene
9/10
Winner7/10
🎉
Nightlife
8/10
8/10
🚶
Walkability
9/10
8/10
👥
Community
very large
Winnermedium
3
Lisbon wins
vs
2
Riga wins
Which City is Right for You?
Recommendations based on your nomad style
💵Budget Nomad
Riga
$600/mo cheaper with similar quality of life
💻Developer
Riga
200 Mbps is essential for video calls & uploads
🦋Social Butterfly
Lisbon
Larger nomad community for networking
🛡️Safety-First
Either works
Both cities are similarly safe
🍜Foodie
Lisbon
Better food scene with incredible variety
🎉Party Person
Either works
Both have great nightlife
🇵🇹Lisbon
Pros
- +Beautiful weather year-round
- +Strong digital nomad community
- +Excellent healthcare system
- +Path to EU citizenship (5 years)
Cons
- −Rising cost of living
- −Expensive rent in city center
- −Bureaucracy can be slow
- −High income requirement for D8 visa (€3,480/mo)
🌍Riga
Pros
- +Lower cost of living and rent than most Western European capitals
- +Good, reliable internet with high fixed broadband speeds and growing 5G coverage
- +Atmospheric UNESCO-listed Old Town with cobbled streets and churches
- +Strong café culture with several laptop-friendly specialty coffee shops
Cons
- −Winters are long, dark and cold with snow and ice common
- −Weather can be grey and damp for long stretches outside summer months
- −Job and networking opportunities are more limited than in larger EU capitals
- −Some infrastructure and buildings outside the centre feel a bit dated
