Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellinzona and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,572 in Bellinzona, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Bellinzona, Switzerland
Lisbon, Portugal
Bellinzona
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,572
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,572 per month in Bellinzona vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Bellinzona $3,572
  • Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $5,491 per month in Bellinzona vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Bellinzona $5,491
  • Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $7,411 per month in Bellinzona vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Bellinzona $7,411
  • Lisbon $4,341

Bellinzona costs about 62% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bellinzona and Lisbon sit above the global median – Bellinzona by 162%, Lisbon by 62%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bellinzona
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$34.79 CHF 28.86
$16.65 €14.95
108.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$119 CHF 98.8
$61.7 €55.5
92.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.24 CHF 15.13
$11.36 €10.20
60.56%
Cappuccino
$4.80 CHF 3.99
$2.97 €2.67
61.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.28 CHF 4.38
$2.29 €2.06
130.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 CHF 3.71
$1.74 €1.56
156.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.61 CHF 7.98
$3.40 €3.06
182.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.73 CHF 5.58
$3.31 €2.97
103.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bellinzona
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 CHF 1.80
$1.16 €1.04
87.93%
White Bread (500g)
$4.14 CHF 3.43
$1.91 €1.72
116.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.11 CHF 3.41
$1.51 €1.36
172.19%
Eggs
$7.86 CHF 6.52
$4.02 €3.61
95.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.65 CHF 22.11
$12.94 €11.62
105.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$30.79 CHF 25.54
$7.77 €6.98
296.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.82 CHF 34.70
$17.76 €15.95
135.47%
Apples (1kg)
$3.71 CHF 3.08
$2.30 €2.07
61.30%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 CHF 1.69
$1.73 €1.56
17.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 CHF 2.34
$1.86 €1.67
51.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.48 CHF 5.37
$2.59 €2.33
150.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 CHF 1.70
$1.82 €1.64
12.64%
Onion (1kg)
$2.20 CHF 1.83
$1.97 €1.77
11.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.45 CHF 2.03
$1.47 €1.32
66.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 CHF 1.08
$0.72 €0.65
80.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.98 CHF 9.11
$6.58 €5.91
66.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.12 CHF 15.03
$5.61 €5.04
222.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.86 CHF 2.37
$1.36 €1.22
110.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.97 CHF 3.29
$2.14 €1.92
85.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Bellinzona
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.75 CHF 2.28
$2.33 €2.10
18.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$122 CHF 101
$44.68 €40.14
173.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.40 CHF 6.14
$3.85 €3.46
92.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.48 CHF 4.55
$1.07 €0.96
412.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.65 CHF 30.40
$16.46 €14.79
122.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.26 CHF 1.88
$2.20 €1.98
2.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.3K CHF 32.6K
$34.2K €30.7K
14.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K CHF 32.6K
$38.7K €34.8K
1.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bellinzona
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$308 CHF 256
$161 €145
91.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.80 CHF 30.53
$18.41 €16.54
99.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.6 CHF 51.9
$32.74 €29.41
91.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bellinzona
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$146 CHF 121
$44.55 €40.02
227.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$54.1 CHF 44.88
$19.10 €17.16
183.25%
Cinema Ticket
$23.86 CHF 19.79
$9.60 €8.62
148.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bellinzona
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,258 CHF 2,703
$668 €600
387.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.1K CHF 29.1K
$17.6K €15.8K
99.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bellinzona
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$198 CHF 164
$102 €91.6
94.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.72 CHF 40.42
$44.46 €39.94
9.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$163 CHF 135
$98.5 €88.5
65.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$172 CHF 143
$124 €111
39.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bellinzona
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,574 CHF 1,306
$1,608 €1,445
-2.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,411 CHF 1,170
$1,190 €1,069
18.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,491 CHF 2,067
$2,812 €2,526
-11.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,504 CHF 2,077
$2,013 €1,808
24.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.8K CHF 11.4K
$7,839 €7,042
75.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.3K CHF 8,581
$4,576 €4,110
126.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bellinzona
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,707 CHF 5,564
$1,575 €1,415
325.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.23
3.85
-42.08%

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

Last update for Bellinzona: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bellinzona
$1.4K
Lisbon
$1.2K 15.6% $221
Groceries & Markets
Bellinzona
$639
Lisbon
$272 57.4% $367
Eating Out
Bellinzona
$491
Lisbon
$243 50.6% $249
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bellinzona
$407
Lisbon
$212 47.9% $195
Clothing & Footwear
Bellinzona
$262
Lisbon
$166 36.6% $96
Sport & Entertainment
Bellinzona
$194
Lisbon
$64 67.1% $130
Getting Around
Bellinzona
$168
Lisbon
$63 62.3% $105

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,574 in Bellinzona versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bellinzona are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $119 in Bellinzona versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $639 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Bellinzona
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
23:26 11:26 PM
22:26 10:26 PM
1 h behind Bellinzona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
43,785
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bellinzona Lisbon 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bellinzona
  • 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
Bellinzona vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Bellinzona and in Lisbon compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,572 in Bellinzona, $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Bellinzona compared to Lisbon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,357 per month in Bellinzona and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do apartment prices compare in Bellinzona and in Lisbon?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,574 in Bellinzona and $1,608 in Lisbon. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Which city is more expensive overall: Bellinzona or Lisbon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,572 in Bellinzona and $2,210 in Lisbon. That makes Lisbon about 38% cheaper.
How do commuting costs compare in Bellinzona and in Lisbon?
Public transport costs about 63% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,210, than in Bellinzona at $3,572. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bellinzona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Bellinzona and Lisbon?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,210 in Lisbon to $3,572 in Bellinzona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Bellinzona or Lisbon safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Bellinzona and Lisbon?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bellinzona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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