Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brighton and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,950 in Brighton, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Brighton
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Brighton Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Brighton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,950

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,950 in Brighton versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Brighton $2,950
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,214 in Brighton versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Brighton $4,214
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,479 in Brighton versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Brighton $5,479
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Brighton is roughly 34% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brighton 118% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.54 £19.16

$17.04 €15.15

49.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.8 £69.6

$62.3 €55.4

48.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 £7.33

$11.02 €9.80

-11.34%

Cappuccino

$5.33 £4.00

$3.12 €2.78

70.83%

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

$3.93 £2.95

$2.27 €2.02

73.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.50

$1.74 €1.55

91.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.96 £6.72

$3.42 €3.04

161.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.49 £7.12

$3.74 €3.33

153.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.17 €1.04

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.86 €1.66

10.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 £1.59

$1.54 €1.37

37.66%

Eggs

$4.53 £3.40

$4.06 €3.61

11.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.10 £9.08

$12.91 €11.49

-6.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 £7.05

$7.90 €7.03

18.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.08 £11.31

$17.64 €15.69

-14.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$2.26 €2.01

30.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.43

$1.75 €1.55

9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 £2.17

$1.89 €1.68

53.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 £2.82

$2.56 €2.27

46.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 £1.68

$1.85 €1.64

21.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.97 €1.75

-8.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.45 €1.29

-17.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.24

$0.77 €0.69

114.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.98 £17.99

$6.71 €5.97

257.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 £8.33

$5.67 €5.04

95.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.31

$1.37 €1.22

124.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 £2.43

$2.11 €1.88

53.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.94 £2.96

$2.32 €2.07

69.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 £96.4

$44.43 €39.52

189.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 £3.81

$3.95 €3.51

28.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 £1.96

$1.05 €0.93

149.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.62 £29.72

$17.15 €15.26

131.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$2.19 €1.95

-4.57%

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

$38.4K £28.8K

$33.8K €30.0K

13.68%

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

$41.1K £30.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

7.51%

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

$291 £218

$164 €146

77.69%

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

$16.90 £12.68

$18.48 €16.43

-8.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.87 £33.66

$32.96 €29.32

36.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 £38.38

$45.87 €40.80

11.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.89 £20.17

$18.68 €16.61

43.95%

Cinema Ticket

$17.32 £12.99

$9.75 €8.67

77.64%

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

$2,062 £1,547

$684 €608

201.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K £23.1K

$17.6K €15.7K

74.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 £67.5

$104 €92.3

-13.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.51 £34.14

$46.20 €41.09

-1.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.8

$99.7 €88.7

2.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 £68.1

$125 €111

-27.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 £1,416

$1,589 €1,414

18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 £1,110

$1,169 €1,040

26.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 £2,125

$2,851 €2,536

-0.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$1,993 €1,773

12.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,467 £6,352

$7,793 €6,932

8.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,148 £4,612

$4,418 €3,930

39.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,380 £2,536

$1,600 €1,423

111.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

3.85

32.99%

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

Last update for Brighton: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brighton

$1.5K 50.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 21% $311

Eating Out

Brighton

$390 13.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 36.6% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brighton

$353 12%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 39% $138

Groceries & Markets

Brighton

$331 11.2%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 17.5% $58

Getting Around

Brighton

$162 5.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 61.3% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Brighton

$148 5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 13.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Brighton

$86 2.9%

Lisbon

$65 3% 23.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,887 in Brighton and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brighton pays 111% 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: $93.0 in Brighton vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Brighton

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

Same time as Brighton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

256,000

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 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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brighton Lisbon 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Brighton vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brighton and Lisbon differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,950 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 111% higher in Brighton, 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: $1,887 in Brighton versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,062 in Brighton versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Brighton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,950 in Brighton, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Brighton. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Brighton 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 34% less than in Brighton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.