Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,461 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,461 in Basel versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Basel $3,461
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,427 in Basel versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Basel $5,427
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,394 in Basel versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Basel $7,394
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Basel is roughly 56% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 156% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.60 CHF 24.38

$16.50 €14.67

79.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 102

$61.3 €54.5

101.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.93 CHF 14.77

$11.27 €10.03

59.09%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.12

$3.06 €2.72

102.94%

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

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$2.26 €2.01

187.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 CHF 4.75

$1.73 €1.54

233.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.20 CHF 7.58

$3.39 €3.02

171.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.79 CHF 8.07

$3.40 €3.02

187.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$1.12 €1.00

101.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$1.86 €1.65

67.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 CHF 2.61

$1.53 €1.36

107.19%

Eggs

$7.83 CHF 6.45

$3.96 €3.53

97.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.04 CHF 21.45

$12.76 €11.35

104.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.78 CHF 22.05

$7.90 €7.02

238.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.31 CHF 33.20

$16.97 €15.09

137.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

$2.27 €2.02

55.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 CHF 1.92

$1.75 €1.55

33.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 CHF 2.44

$1.85 €1.64

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 CHF 3.72

$2.57 €2.28

75.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 CHF 1.42

$1.86 €1.65

-7.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 CHF 1.56

$2.02 €1.80

-6.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.84

$1.44 €1.28

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$0.82 €0.73

96.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 CHF 9.13

$6.56 €5.83

68.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 CHF 9.75

$5.62 €5.00

110.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CHF 2.08

$1.28 €1.14

96.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CHF 2.44

$2.07 €1.84

43.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$2.35 €2.09

92.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.5

$44.18 €39.30

137.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 CHF 6.54

$3.99 €3.55

99.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.51 CHF 3.71

$1.09 €0.97

313.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$84.6 CHF 69.7

$16.64 €14.81

408.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.28 €2.03

1.32%

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

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

25.52%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

$39.3K €35.0K

-1.42%

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

$292 CHF 240

$167 €149

74.12%

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

$46.45 CHF 38.25

$18.80 €16.72

147.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.9 CHF 51.0

$33.09 €29.43

87.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.1 CHF 66.8

$46.01 €40.93

76.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.5 CHF 48.17

$19.19 €17.07

204.74%

Cinema Ticket

$22.48 CHF 18.52

$9.84 €8.75

128.46%

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

$2,993 CHF 2,465

$677 €602

341.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

$16.9K €15.1K

88.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$101 €90.1

40.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.1 CHF 63.5

$45.76 €40.70

68.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$100.0 €88.9

59.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 CHF 163

$123 €109

61.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,953 CHF 1,609

$1,614 €1,436

21.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 CHF 1,207

$1,197 €1,065

22.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,586 CHF 2,954

$2,862 €2,545

25.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,796 CHF 2,302

$1,990 €1,770

40.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

$7,577 €6,740

138.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

$4,307 €3,831

231.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,863 CHF 5,652

$1,588 €1,412

332.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

3.85

-37.14%

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

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.5K 42.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 18.3% $268

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$576 16.7%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 53.3% $307

Eating Out

Basel

$480 13.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 49.5% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$400 11.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 45.1% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$260 7.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 35.9% $93

Getting Around

Basel

$154 4.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 59% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$126 3.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 47.9% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,953 in Basel and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 332% 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: $123 in Basel vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $576 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

1 h behind Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Basel Lisbon 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Basel
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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

Basel vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 332% higher in Basel, 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: $1,953 in Basel versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,993 in Basel versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 114% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,461 in Basel, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Basel 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 56% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.