Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caen and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Caen: $1,671 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Caen
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Caen Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Caen

🇫🇷 France

$1,671

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,671 in Caen versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Caen $1,671
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,568 in Caen versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Caen $2,568
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,466 in Caen versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Caen $3,466
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Caen costs roughly 24% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Caen 23% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.73

$17.04 €15.15

-2.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.11

$62.3 €55.4

-11.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.01

$11.02 €9.80

22.50%

Cappuccino

$2.84 €2.53

$3.12 €2.78

-8.97%

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

$3.05 €2.71

$2.27 €2.02

34.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.74 €1.55

17.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.38 €7.46

$3.42 €3.04

145.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.88

$3.74 €3.33

46.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.17 €1.04

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.86 €1.66

-4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.54 €1.37

28.57%

Eggs

$3.81 €3.39

$4.06 €3.61

-6.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 €8.86

$12.91 €11.49

-22.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 €10.44

$7.90 €7.03

48.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.28 €14.48

$17.64 €15.69

-7.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.26 €2.01

37.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.75 €1.55

72.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.89 €1.68

-20.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$2.56 €2.27

62.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.85 €1.64

-2.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.97 €1.75

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.45 €1.29

13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.15 €0.13

$0.77 €0.69

-80.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.15 €11.70

$6.71 €5.97

95.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.59 €4.98

$5.67 €5.04

-1.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.37 €1.22

8.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.11 €1.88

-21.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.32 €2.07

-23.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.59 €44.11

$44.43 €39.52

11.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.95 €3.51

-43.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.05 €0.93

6.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.41 €28.83

$17.15 €15.26

88.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.86

$2.19 €1.95

-4.11%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$33.8K €30.0K

1.48%

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

$36.4K €32.4K

$38.3K €34.0K

-4.94%

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

$138 €123

$164 €146

-15.71%

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

$32.70 €29.08

$18.48 €16.43

76.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.85 €28.33

$32.96 €29.32

-3.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.94 €28.41

$45.87 €40.80

-30.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.48 €20.00

$18.68 €16.61

20.34%

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 €9.01

$9.75 €8.67

3.90%

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

$879 €782

$684 €608

28.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.3

$104 €92.3

4.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.80 €34.52

$46.20 €41.09

-16.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$99.7 €88.7

1.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$125 €111

21.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 €676

$1,589 €1,414

-52.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 €534

$1,169 €1,040

-48.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$2,851 €2,536

-45.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €927

$1,993 €1,773

-47.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,496 €3,999

$7,793 €6,932

-42.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,553 €2,270

$4,418 €3,930

-42.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,379 €2,116

$1,600 €1,423

48.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.85

-1.56%

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

Last update for Caen: 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

Caen

$600 35.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 94.9% $569

Groceries & Markets

Caen

$292 17.5%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 6.5% $19

Eating Out

Caen

$280 16.8%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 11.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caen

$203 12.1%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 6.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Caen

$180 10.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 6.2% $11

Getting Around

Caen

$65 3.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 2.5% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Caen

$52 3.1%

Lisbon

$65 3% 25.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $760 in Caen and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caen pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Caen vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Caen

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

09:08 9:08 AM

1 h behind Caen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,200

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Caen Lisbon 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Caen
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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

Caen vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caen and Lisbon differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,671 vs $2,202 including rent). Caen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Caen, 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: $760 in Caen versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Caen runs roughly 12% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $879 in Caen versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,671 in Caen versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Caen but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Caen 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, Caen 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 Caen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.