Cost of Living Comparison Between Buckingham and Lisbon Cost of Living Comparison Between Buckingham and Lisbon

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,268 in Buckingham versus $2,291 in Lisbon.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,455 in Buckingham versus $3,322 in Lisbon.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,643 in Buckingham versus $4,354 in Lisbon.

Living in Buckingham costs roughly 1% less than in Lisbon, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buckingham 70% above, Lisbon 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.10 £14.96

$16.19 €14.18

24.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 £61.4

$63.3 €55.5

30.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 £8.14

$10.32 €9.04

6.01%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.43

$2.83 €2.48

62.90%

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

$1.98 £1.48

$2.29 €2.01

-13.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 £0.99

$1.58 €1.38

-15.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 £4.15

$3.40 €2.98

63.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 £3.99

$4.03 €3.53

33.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.09 €0.96

8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.75 €1.53

-12.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 £1.58

$1.76 €1.54

20.45%

Eggs

$4.24 £3.16

$3.17 €2.77

33.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 £7.51

$13.19 €11.56

-23.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.22 £5.38

$7.97 €6.98

-9.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.57 £11.59

$15.53 €13.60

0.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 £2.44

$2.37 €2.07

38.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.71 €1.49

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.08

$2.01 €1.76

39.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 £1.91

$2.43 €2.13

5.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 £0.74

$1.76 €1.54

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 £1.30

$2.03 €1.78

-13.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 £0.81

$1.92 €1.68

-43.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 £1.18

$0.85 €0.74

87.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.39 £12.20

$6.58 €5.76

149.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 £8.18

$5.58 €4.89

96.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 £1.95

$1.33 €1.17

96.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 £1.48

$2.97 €2.60

-33.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 £1.97

$2.28 €1.99

16.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 £66.7

$45.79 €40.10

95.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.18 £3.11

$4.23 €3.70

-1.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 £1.00

$0.81 €0.71

65.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.18 £18.74

$18.44 €16.15

36.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.47

$2.08 €1.82

-5.29%

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

$38.4K £28.6K

$34.7K €30.4K

10.67%

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

$42.3K £31.5K

$39.2K €34.3K

8.07%

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

$260 £194

$148 €130

75.76%

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

$17.71 £13.19

$20.46 €17.92

-13.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.37 £26.33

$39.56 €34.64

-10.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.41 £9.98

$47.99 €42.03

-72.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.60 €16.29

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 £9.07

$9.22 €8.08

32.10%

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

$1,410 £1,049

$616 €540

128.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K £10.0K

$16.4K €14.4K

-17.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 £56.2

$103 €90.0

-26.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.25 £26.99

$41.74 €36.55

-13.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 £52.6

$94.8 €83.0

-25.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 £67.4

$122 €107

-25.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 £1,102

$1,633 €1,430

-9.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 £789

$1,232 €1,079

-13.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,422 £2,548

$3,098 €2,713

10.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,060 £1,534

$2,031 €1,779

1.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,701 £4,244

$7,831 €6,858

-27.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,389 €3,844

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,514 £3,360

$1,607 €1,408

180.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.79

3.81

51.97%

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

Last update for Buckingham: July 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: July 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,481 in Buckingham and $1,633 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 181% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $82.0 in Buckingham vs $63.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $267 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

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

Buckingham vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buckingham and Lisbon differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,268 vs $2,291 including rent). Buckingham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 181% higher in Buckingham, 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: $1,481 in Buckingham versus $1,633 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,268 per month in Buckingham versus $2,291 in Lisbon – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Buckingham runs roughly 96% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,268 in Buckingham versus $2,291 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buckingham but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Buckingham 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, Buckingham 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 Buckingham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.