Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brest and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $1,381 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Brest
🇫🇷 France
$1,381
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,381 in Brest versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Brest $1,381
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,157 in Brest versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Brest $2,157
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,933 in Brest versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Brest $2,933
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Brest costs roughly 38% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brest 2% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brest
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.39 €13.69
$16.50 €14.67
-6.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.10 €40.11
$61.3 €54.5
-26.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.33 €10.07
$11.27 €10.03
0.53%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.64
$3.06 €2.72
-2.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 €2.69
$2.26 €2.01
33.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.82
$1.73 €1.54
17.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.48 €5.76
$3.39 €3.02
91.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.41 €4.81
$3.40 €3.02
59.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brest
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 €0.99
$1.12 €1.00
-0.89%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 €1.35
$1.86 €1.65
-18.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.57 €2.29
$1.53 €1.36
67.97%
Eggs
$3.50 €3.11
$3.96 €3.53
-11.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.71 €16.64
$12.76 €11.35
46.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.12 €9.00
$7.90 €7.02
28.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.34 €12.75
$16.97 €15.09
-15.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 €2.61
$2.27 €2.02
29.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 €1.69
$1.75 €1.55
8.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 €2.33
$1.85 €1.64
41.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.89 €2.57
$2.57 €2.28
12.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 €1.51
$1.86 €1.65
-8.60%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$2.02 €1.80
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 €1.24
$1.44 €1.28
-3.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.34 €0.30
$0.82 €0.73
-58.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.40 €11.92
$6.56 €5.83
104.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.89 €6.13
$5.62 €5.00
22.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.62 €2.33
$1.28 €1.14
104.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 €2.50
$2.07 €1.84
35.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Brest
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.88 €1.67
$2.35 €2.09
-20.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.58 €35.21
$44.18 €39.30
-10.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.32 €7.40
$3.99 €3.55
108.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.95 €2.63
$1.09 €0.97
170.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.97 €27.54
$16.64 €14.81
86.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 €1.79
$2.28 €2.03
-11.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.8K €32.7K
$33.7K €30.0K
9.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.3K €30.6K
$39.3K €35.0K
-12.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brest
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$141 €126
$167 €149
-15.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.20 €24.20
$18.80 €16.72
44.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.11 €27.67
$33.09 €29.43
-5.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brest
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.05 €31.18
$46.01 €40.93
-23.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.12 €13.45
$19.19 €17.07
-21.21%
Cinema Ticket
$13.74 €12.22
$9.84 €8.75
39.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brest
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$223 €198
$677 €602
-67.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K €10.1K
$16.9K €15.1K
-32.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brest
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.1 €61.4
$101 €90.1
-31.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.43 €27.07
$45.76 €40.70
-33.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.7 €68.2
$100.0 €88.9
-23.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.5 €61.8
$123 €109
-43.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brest
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$512 €456
$1,614 €1,436
-68.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$380 €338
$1,197 €1,065
-68.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$882 €784
$2,862 €2,545
-69.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$733 €652
$1,990 €1,770
-63.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,804 €2,494
$7,577 €6,740
-63.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,503 €2,226
$4,307 €3,831
-41.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brest
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,642 €2,350
$1,588 €1,412
66.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.82
3.85
-0.78%

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

Last update for Brest: 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
Brest
$380
Lisbon
$1.2K 215% $817
Groceries & Markets
Brest
$303
Lisbon
$269 11% $33
Eating Out
Brest
$256
Lisbon
$242 5.4% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brest
$200
Lisbon
$219 9.9% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Brest
$111
Lisbon
$166 50.5% $56
Getting Around
Brest
$70
Lisbon
$63 10.2% $7.2
Sport & Entertainment
Brest
$63
Lisbon
$66 5.1% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $512 in Brest and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brest pays 66% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Brest vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇫🇷 Brest
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
17:40 5:40 PM
16:40 4:40 PM
1 h behind Brest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
139,619
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Brest Lisbon 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Brest
  • 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
Brest vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Brest or Lisbon?
Brest wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Brest or in Lisbon?
Average pay runs 66% higher in Brest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Brest compared to Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $512 in Brest versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Brest and in Lisbon?
Dining out is cheaper in Brest – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Brest compared to Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $1,381 per month in Brest versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Brest or in Lisbon?
At $1,381 in Brest versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brest but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Brest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Brest or Lisbon?
Both work as nomad bases, but Brest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,381 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brest hard to pass up.
How safe is Brest compared to Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Brest 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Brest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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