Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,640 in Adelaide, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,640 in Adelaide versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Adelaide $2,640
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Adelaide versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Adelaide $3,759
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,878 in Adelaide versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Adelaide $4,878
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Adelaide is roughly 20% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Adelaide 95% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 A$24.61

$17.04 €15.15

0.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 A$116

$62.3 €55.4

29.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.64 A$16.75

$11.02 €9.80

5.63%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.83

$3.12 €2.78

29.81%

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

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.27 €2.02

22.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 A$3.68

$1.74 €1.55

46.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.20

$3.42 €3.04

127.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 A$11.89

$3.74 €3.33

120.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.17 €1.04

69.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.86 €1.66

49.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.23

$1.54 €1.37

45.45%

Eggs

$5.69 A$8.19

$4.06 €3.61

40.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$12.91 €11.49

-8.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 A$13.24

$7.90 €7.03

16.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 A$27.29

$17.64 €15.69

7.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.67

$2.26 €2.01

74.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.75 €1.55

73.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 A$5.22

$1.89 €1.68

92.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 A$7.28

$2.56 €2.27

97.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$1.85 €1.64

72.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.56

$1.97 €1.75

25.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.58

$1.45 €1.29

71.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$0.77 €0.69

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.26 A$65.1

$6.71 €5.97

574.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$20.05

$5.67 €5.04

145.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.52 A$7.94

$1.37 €1.22

302.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 A$8.51

$2.11 €1.88

180.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 A$4.61

$2.32 €2.07

37.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 A$120

$44.43 €39.52

88.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$3.95 €3.51

-10.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.05 €0.93

88.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.11 A$44.77

$17.15 €15.26

81.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 A$2.03

$2.19 €1.95

-35.62%

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

$29.3K A$42.2K

$33.8K €30.0K

-13.18%

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

$25.7K A$36.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-32.90%

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

$192 A$276

$164 €146

17.17%

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

$25.71 A$36.99

$18.48 €16.43

39.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 A$81.6

$32.96 €29.32

71.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 A$90.6

$45.87 €40.80

37.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.06 A$20.24

$18.68 €16.61

-24.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.14 A$24.67

$9.75 €8.67

75.79%

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

$2,072 A$2,982

$684 €608

202.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K A$20.5K

$17.6K €15.7K

-19.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$101

$104 €92.3

-32.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.9

$46.20 €41.09

18.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$99.7 €88.7

14.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$195

$125 €111

8.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,466

$1,589 €1,414

7.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,839

$1,169 €1,040

9.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,431 A$3,498

$2,851 €2,536

-14.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,637

$1,993 €1,773

-8.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K A$14.5K

$7,793 €6,932

29.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,880 A$9,901

$4,418 €3,930

55.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,830 A$5,511

$1,600 €1,423

139.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

3.85

53.77%

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

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 8.5% $109

Groceries & Markets

Adelaide

$415 15.7%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 34.2% $142

Eating Out

Adelaide

$297 11.3%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 16.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adelaide

$274 10.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 21.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Adelaide

$169 6.4%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 0.2% $0.3

Getting Around

Adelaide

$110 4.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 42.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Adelaide

$97 3.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 32.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Adelaide and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Adelaide pays 139% 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: $81.0 in Adelaide vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $415 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

05:31 5:31 AM

9 h 30 min behind Adelaide

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,011

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Adelaide Lisbon 17,130 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Adelaide
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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

Adelaide vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Lisbon differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,640 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 139% higher in Adelaide, 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: $1,713 in Adelaide versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,072 in Adelaide versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Adelaide. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,640 in Adelaide, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Adelaide. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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, Adelaide 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.