Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bournemouth and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,509 in Bournemouth, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Bournemouth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,509
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,509 per month in Bournemouth vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $2,509
  • Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in Bournemouth vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $3,689
  • Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $4,870 per month in Bournemouth vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $4,870
  • Lisbon $4,319

Bournemouth costs about 13% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bournemouth and Lisbon sit above the global median – Bournemouth by 86%, Lisbon by 65%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bournemouth
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.33 £15.25
$16.50 €14.67
23.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 £75.6
$61.3 €54.5
64.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 £8.76
$11.27 €10.03
3.64%
Cappuccino
$4.76 £3.57
$3.06 €2.72
55.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 £2.41
$2.26 €2.01
42.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 £1.53
$1.73 €1.54
17.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.78 £5.09
$3.39 €3.02
100.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.19 £5.39
$3.40 €3.02
111.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bournemouth
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 £1.21
$1.12 €1.00
43.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 £1.16
$1.86 €1.65
-17.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.53 €1.36
17.65%
Eggs
$4.32 £3.24
$3.96 €3.53
9.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.23 £4.68
$12.76 €11.35
-51.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 £6.96
$7.90 €7.02
17.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.68 £9.51
$16.97 €15.09
-25.28%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 £1.67
$2.27 €2.02
-2.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 £1.32
$1.75 €1.55
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 £1.46
$1.85 €1.64
4.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.11 £1.58
$2.57 €2.28
-17.90%
Potato (1kg)
$2.03 £1.52
$1.86 €1.65
9.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 £0.95
$2.02 €1.80
-37.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.89 £1.42
$1.44 €1.28
31.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 £1.27
$0.82 €0.73
106.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.60 £17.71
$6.56 €5.83
259.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.36 £7.02
$5.62 €5.00
66.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.80 £2.10
$1.28 €1.14
118.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 £1.87
$2.07 €1.84
20.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Bournemouth
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.64 £2.73
$2.35 €2.09
54.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.8 £68.1
$44.18 €39.30
105.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 £2.42
$3.99 €3.55
-19.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.29 £1.72
$1.09 €0.97
110.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.25 £24.20
$16.64 €14.81
93.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.49
$2.28 €2.03
-12.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$33.7K €30.0K
13.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.0K £30.0K
$39.3K €35.0K
1.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bournemouth
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$353 £265
$167 €149
110.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.19 £12.14
$18.80 €16.72
-13.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.90 £32.18
$33.09 €29.43
29.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bournemouth
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.33 £28.00
$46.01 €40.93
-18.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.71 £8.78
$19.19 €17.07
-38.98%
Cinema Ticket
$17.19 £12.90
$9.84 €8.75
74.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bournemouth
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,218 £1,664
$677 €602
227.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$33.8K £25.4K
$16.9K €15.1K
99.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bournemouth
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.8 £66.6
$101 €90.1
-12.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.86 £32.90
$45.76 €40.70
-4.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.6 £62.0
$100.0 €88.9
-17.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$143 £107
$123 €109
16.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bournemouth
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 £944
$1,614 €1,436
-22.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,146 £860
$1,197 €1,065
-4.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 £2,003
$2,862 €2,545
-6.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,898 £1,424
$1,990 €1,770
-4.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,662 £4,998
$7,577 €6,740
-12.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,474 £4,107
$4,307 €3,831
27.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bournemouth
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,920 £2,191
$1,588 €1,412
83.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.96
3.85
28.83%

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

Last update for Bournemouth: 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
Bournemouth
$1.1K
Lisbon
$1.2K 4.4% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bournemouth
$412
Lisbon
$219 46.8% $193
Eating Out
Bournemouth
$324
Lisbon
$242 25.3% $82
Groceries & Markets
Bournemouth
$273
Lisbon
$269 1.4% $3.9
Clothing & Footwear
Bournemouth
$161
Lisbon
$166 3.2% $5.1
Getting Around
Bournemouth
$120
Lisbon
$63 47.5% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Bournemouth
$72
Lisbon
$66 8.4% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,258 in Bournemouth versus $1,614 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 run about 84% higher in Bournemouth, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bournemouth versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Bournemouth
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
04:42 4:42 AM
04:42 4:42 AM
Same time as Bournemouth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,491
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bournemouth Lisbon 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bournemouth
  • 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
Bournemouth vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bournemouth or Lisbon?
Bournemouth costs about 13% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bournemouth and in Lisbon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,763 per month in Bournemouth and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bournemouth or Lisbon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Bournemouth or in Lisbon?
Groceries cost about 1% more in Bournemouth, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Bournemouth and in Lisbon?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bournemouth and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Bournemouth or in Lisbon?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Bournemouth at $2,509. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bournemouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bournemouth or Lisbon?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,223 versus $2,509 in Bournemouth. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bournemouth compared to Lisbon?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Bournemouth or to Lisbon?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bournemouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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