Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,501 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,501

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,501 per month in Cairns vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cairns $2,501
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Cairns vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cairns $3,716
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Cairns vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cairns $4,931
Lisbon $4,319

Cairns costs about 12% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairns and Lisbon sit above the global median – Cairns by 85%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$25.00

$16.50 €14.67

5.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 A$138

$61.3 €54.5

56.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 A$18.15

$11.27 €10.03

11.98%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.08

$3.06 €2.72

38.24%

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

$3.27 A$4.70

$2.26 €2.01

44.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.95

$1.73 €1.54

58.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 A$10.25

$3.39 €3.02

110.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.39 A$12.07

$3.40 €3.02

146.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 A$2.64

$1.12 €1.00

63.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.87

$1.86 €1.65

44.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.53 €1.36

64.71%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.68

$3.96 €3.53

34.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.04

$12.76 €11.35

-29.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 A$19.49

$7.90 €7.02

71.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 A$21.44

$16.97 €15.09

-12.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$6.02

$2.27 €2.02

84.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.75 €1.55

62.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 A$5.32

$1.85 €1.64

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 A$8.50

$2.57 €2.28

129.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.86 €1.65

32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$2.02 €1.80

27.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.44 €1.28

97.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.82 €0.73

206.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.51 A$64.1

$6.56 €5.83

578.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 A$19.95

$5.62 €5.00

146.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.25

$1.28 €1.14

185.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.55

$2.07 €1.84

153.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.13

$2.35 €2.09

51.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.08 A$21.70

$44.18 €39.30

-65.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 A$3.61

$3.99 €3.55

-37.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 A$2.83

$1.09 €0.97

80.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.45 A$59.7

$16.64 €14.81

149.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 A$1.77

$2.28 €2.03

-46.05%

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

$30.8K A$44.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

-8.55%

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

$40.7K A$58.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

3.68%

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

$165 A$238

$167 €149

-1.23%

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

$34.27 A$49.32

$18.80 €16.72

82.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 A$93.4

$33.09 €29.43

96.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 A$63.0

$46.01 €40.93

-4.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.43 A$39.48

$19.19 €17.07

42.94%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 A$19.79

$9.84 €8.75

39.74%

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

$2,100 A$3,022

$677 €602

210.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K A$20.3K

$16.9K €15.1K

-16.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 A$130

$101 €90.1

-10.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 A$103

$45.76 €40.70

55.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 A$179

$100.0 €88.9

24.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$123 €109

5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 A$2,071

$1,614 €1,436

-10.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,760

$1,197 €1,065

2.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 A$3,267

$2,862 €2,545

-20.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 A$2,791

$1,990 €1,770

-2.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,429 A$9,251

$7,577 €6,740

-15.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,919 A$7,078

$4,307 €3,831

14.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,424 A$6,366

$1,588 €1,412

178.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

3.85

64.16%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 2.1% $26

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$409 16.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 34.1% $140

Eating Out

Cairns

$304 12.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 20.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$265 10.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 17.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$187 7.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 11% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$71 2.9%

Lisbon

$66 3% 7.9% $5.6

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 51.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,439 in Cairns versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 179% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

20:59 8:59 PM

9 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

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

USD to AUD in detail →

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Cairns Lisbon 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

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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

Cairns vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 12% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,751 per month in Cairns and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Cairns at $2,501. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,223 versus $2,501 in Cairns. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.