Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bristol and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,835 in Bristol, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Bristol
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Bristol Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Bristol

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,835

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,835 in Bristol versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Bristol $2,835
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,144 in Bristol versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Bristol $4,144
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,453 in Bristol versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Bristol $5,453
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Bristol is roughly 28% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bristol 110% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.82 £17.87

$16.50 €14.67

44.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 £84.8

$61.3 €54.5

84.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 £7.79

$11.27 €10.03

-7.90%

Cappuccino

$5.27 £3.95

$3.06 €2.72

72.22%

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

$2.56 £1.92

$2.26 €2.01

13.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.38

$1.73 €1.54

6.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.55 £5.66

$3.39 €3.02

122.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 £4.88

$3.40 €3.02

91.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.12 €1.00

33.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.86 €1.65

-12.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.53 €1.36

30.72%

Eggs

$4.29 £3.22

$3.96 €3.53

8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 £6.30

$12.76 €11.35

-34.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.69 £7.27

$7.90 €7.02

22.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.85 £9.64

$16.97 €15.09

-24.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 £2.36

$2.27 €2.02

38.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.75 €1.55

-1.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 £1.97

$1.85 €1.64

41.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 £3.12

$2.57 €2.28

61.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.86 €1.65

10.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$2.02 €1.80

-25.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.44 €1.28

-11.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.82 €0.73

152.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.58 £17.69

$6.56 €5.83

259.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 £8.03

$5.62 €5.00

90.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 £2.15

$1.28 €1.14

124.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 £2.68

$2.07 €1.84

72.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 £2.52

$2.35 €2.09

42.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 £88.6

$44.18 €39.30

167.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 £2.54

$3.99 €3.55

-15.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.09 €0.97

52.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.38 £19.79

$16.64 €14.81

58.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 £1.59

$2.28 €2.03

-7.02%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

11.28%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

1.13%

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

$316 £237

$167 €149

88.53%

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

$16.76 £12.58

$18.80 €16.72

-10.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.59 £28.95

$33.09 €29.43

16.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.62 £36.48

$46.01 €40.93

5.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.50 £8.63

$19.19 €17.07

-40.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.05 £10.54

$9.84 €8.75

42.78%

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

$2,221 £1,667

$677 €602

228.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K £18.7K

$16.9K €15.1K

47.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 £73.9

$101 €90.1

-2.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.84 £36.64

$45.76 €40.70

6.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £79.1

$100.0 €88.9

5.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 £74.2

$123 €109

-19.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,891 £1,419

$1,614 €1,436

17.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 £1,068

$1,197 €1,065

18.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,042 £2,282

$2,862 €2,545

6.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,266 £1,700

$1,990 €1,770

13.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,835 £5,128

$7,577 €6,740

-9.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,177 £3,884

$4,307 €3,831

20.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,731 £2,799

$1,588 €1,412

135.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

3.85

26.49%

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

Last update for Bristol: 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

Bristol

$1.4K 50.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 15.9% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bristol

$371 13.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 40.9% $152

Eating Out

Bristol

$353 12.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 31.4% $111

Groceries & Markets

Bristol

$308 10.9%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 12.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Bristol

$158 5.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.2% $8.2

Getting Around

Bristol

$143 5.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 56% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Bristol

$77 2.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 14.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,891 in Bristol and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol pays 135% 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: $113 in Bristol vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bristol

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

Same time as Bristol

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,400

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bristol Lisbon 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bristol
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

Bristol vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bristol and Lisbon differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,835 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 135% higher in Bristol, 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: $1,891 in Bristol versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Bristol. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $113 in Bristol. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,835 in Bristol, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Bristol. 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, Bristol 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 28% less than in Bristol. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.