Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belfast and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,338 in Belfast, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Belfast despite lower rent and utilities.

113

Cost of Living Index in Belfast
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Belfast Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Belfast

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,338

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,338 in Belfast versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Belfast $2,338
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,406 in Belfast versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Belfast $3,406
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,474 in Belfast versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Belfast $4,474
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Belfast is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Belfast 73% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 £18.84

$16.50 €14.67

52.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.8 £68.1

$61.3 €54.5

48.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 £8.03

$11.27 €10.03

-5.06%

Cappuccino

$4.92 £3.69

$3.06 €2.72

60.78%

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

$2.90 £2.17

$2.26 €2.01

28.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.53

$1.73 €1.54

17.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.70 £5.78

$3.39 €3.02

127.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.80 £5.85

$3.40 €3.02

129.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 £1.33

$1.12 €1.00

58.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 £1.64

$1.86 €1.65

17.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 £2.01

$1.53 €1.36

74.51%

Eggs

$4.54 £3.40

$3.96 €3.53

14.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 £8.05

$12.76 €11.35

-15.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.98 £8.23

$7.90 €7.02

38.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.73 £11.80

$16.97 €15.09

-7.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.27 €2.02

40.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.75 €1.55

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 £2.56

$1.85 €1.64

84.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 £3.09

$2.57 €2.28

60.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 £1.76

$1.86 €1.65

26.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$2.02 €1.80

-23.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.44 €1.28

-4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 £1.43

$0.82 €0.73

131.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.47 £17.61

$6.56 €5.83

257.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 £9.00

$5.62 €5.00

113.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 £2.12

$1.28 €1.14

121.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.07 €1.84

54.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.35

$2.35 €2.09

33.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 £73.8

$44.18 €39.30

122.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 £3.44

$3.99 €3.55

14.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.09 €0.97

42.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.97 £14.98

$16.64 €14.81

20.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$2.28 €2.03

-8.33%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

11.85%

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

$40.0K £30.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

1.77%

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

$270 £202

$167 €149

61.13%

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

$24.48 £18.37

$18.80 €16.72

30.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.22 £33.92

$33.09 €29.43

36.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.24 £36.19

$46.01 €40.93

4.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.36 £7.77

$19.19 €17.07

-46.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 £10.79

$9.84 €8.75

46.24%

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

$1,397 £1,048

$677 €602

106.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K £13.3K

$16.9K €15.1K

5.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 £62.3

$101 €90.1

-17.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.27 £34.72

$45.76 €40.70

1.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £81.9

$100.0 €88.9

9.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.4

$123 €109

-15.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 £885

$1,614 €1,436

-26.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 £698

$1,197 €1,065

-22.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,954 £1,466

$2,862 €2,545

-31.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 £1,014

$1,990 €1,770

-32.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,127 £3,096

$7,577 €6,740

-45.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,493 £1,871

$4,307 €3,831

-42.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,243 £2,433

$1,588 €1,412

104.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

3.85

27.53%

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

Last update for Belfast: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belfast

$931 39.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 28.6% $266

Eating Out

Belfast

$366 15.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 33.8% $124

Groceries & Markets

Belfast

$348 14.9%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 22.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belfast

$340 14.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 35.4% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Belfast

$154 6.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.2% $13

Getting Around

Belfast

$123 5.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 48.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Belfast

$77 3.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 14.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,180 in Belfast and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belfast pays 104% 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: $91.0 in Belfast vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Belfast

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

Same time as Belfast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belfast Lisbon 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Belfast
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

Belfast vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 104% higher in Belfast, 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: $1,180 in Belfast versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,397 in Belfast 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 29% higher in Belfast. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,338 in Belfast, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Belfast. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Belfast, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Belfast 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 5% less than in Belfast. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.