Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,337 in Bern, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,337

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,337 in Bern versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Bern $3,337
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,148 in Bern versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Bern $5,148
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,958 in Bern versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Bern $6,958
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Bern is roughly 50% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bern 147% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.53 CHF 23.50

$16.50 €14.67

72.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 98.3

$61.3 €54.5

94.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.35 CHF 12.64

$11.27 €10.03

36.20%

Cappuccino

$6.90 CHF 5.68

$3.06 €2.72

125.49%

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

$6.13 CHF 5.05

$2.26 €2.01

171.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 CHF 5.59

$1.73 €1.54

292.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.89 CHF 7.32

$3.39 €3.02

162.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$3.40 €3.02

127.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.79

$1.12 €1.00

93.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 CHF 2.49

$1.86 €1.65

62.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 CHF 2.67

$1.53 €1.36

112.42%

Eggs

$7.79 CHF 6.42

$3.96 €3.53

96.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.73 CHF 19.54

$12.76 €11.35

85.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.58 CHF 23.54

$7.90 €7.02

261.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.02 CHF 31.31

$16.97 €15.09

124.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 CHF 3.23

$2.27 €2.02

73.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.63

$1.75 €1.55

12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 CHF 2.22

$1.85 €1.64

45.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$2.57 €2.28

77.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$1.86 €1.65

-13.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$2.02 €1.80

0.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$1.44 €1.28

57.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.05

$0.82 €0.73

56.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.37 CHF 9.37

$6.56 €5.83

73.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 CHF 9.98

$5.62 €5.00

115.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$1.28 €1.14

71.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$2.07 €1.84

43.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$2.35 €2.09

160.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 CHF 81.0

$44.18 €39.30

122.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 CHF 6.75

$3.99 €3.55

105.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.79

$1.09 €0.97

322.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 CHF 87.3

$16.64 €14.81

537.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$2.28 €2.03

3.07%

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

$42.0K CHF 34.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

24.58%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$39.3K €35.0K

-0.69%

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

$275 CHF 227

$167 €149

64.47%

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

$28.22 CHF 23.24

$18.80 €16.72

50.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 CHF 44.43

$33.09 €29.43

63.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.2 CHF 73.4

$46.01 €40.93

93.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.49 CHF 38.29

$19.19 €17.07

142.26%

Cinema Ticket

$23.80 CHF 19.60

$9.84 €8.75

141.87%

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

$3,103 CHF 2,556

$677 €602

358.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K CHF 25.4K

$16.9K €15.1K

82.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$101 €90.1

35.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.7 CHF 50.0

$45.76 €40.70

32.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$156 CHF 128

$100.0 €88.9

55.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$192 CHF 158

$123 €109

56.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 CHF 1,516

$1,614 €1,436

14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 CHF 1,162

$1,197 €1,065

17.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,449 CHF 2,841

$2,862 €2,545

20.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 CHF 2,066

$1,990 €1,770

26.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.0K

$7,577 €6,740

140.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.1K CHF 12.4K

$4,307 €3,831

249.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,708 CHF 5,525

$1,588 €1,412

322.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.46

3.85

-36.10%

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

Last update for Bern: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bern

$1.4K 42.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 15.2% $214

Groceries & Markets

Bern

$564 16.9%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 52.2% $294

Eating Out

Bern

$469 14%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 48.3% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bern

$358 10.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 38.7% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Bern

$246 7.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 32.3% $79

Getting Around

Bern

$154 4.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 59.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Bern

$137 4.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 52% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,841 in Bern and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays 322% 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: $119 in Bern vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $564 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Bern

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

1 h behind Bern

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,848 Capital

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

Bern Lisbon 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bern vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Bern. 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 322% higher in Bern, 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: $1,841 in Bern versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $119 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,337 per month in Bern versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,337 in Bern, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Bern. 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, Bern 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 50% less than in Bern. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.