Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,886 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,886

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,886 per month in Canberra vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Canberra $2,886
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $4,020 per month in Canberra vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Canberra $4,020
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $5,153 per month in Canberra vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Canberra $5,153
Lisbon $4,341

Canberra costs about 31% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Canberra and Lisbon sit above the global median – Canberra by 112%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 A$29.53

$16.65 €14.96

24.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 A$128

$61.7 €55.5

45.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 A$14.83

$11.36 €10.20

-8.19%

Cappuccino

$3.99 A$5.67

$2.97 €2.67

34.34%

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

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.29 €2.06

36.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 A$3.75

$1.74 €1.56

51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 A$11.83

$3.40 €3.06

144.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.11 A$14.37

$3.31 €2.97

205.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.16 €1.04

28.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 A$4.47

$1.91 €1.72

64.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.59

$1.51 €1.36

67.55%

Eggs

$5.32 A$7.57

$4.02 €3.61

32.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 A$18.69

$12.94 €11.62

1.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 A$14.19

$7.77 €6.99

28.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.08 A$21.44

$17.76 €15.96

-15.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 A$5.72

$2.30 €2.07

75.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.50

$1.73 €1.56

83.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 A$5.04

$1.86 €1.67

90.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 A$7.29

$2.59 €2.33

98.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$1.82 €1.64

76.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.03

$1.97 €1.77

43.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.47 €1.32

68.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.00

$0.72 €0.65

94.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.06 A$62.7

$6.58 €5.92

569.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 A$20.28

$5.61 €5.04

154.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.81 A$6.85

$1.36 €1.22

253.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 A$8.08

$2.14 €1.92

165.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 A$3.60

$2.33 €2.10

8.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.8 A$135

$44.68 €40.14

112.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 A$5.68

$3.85 €3.46

3.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.07 €0.96

54.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.56 A$60.5

$16.46 €14.79

158.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$2.20 €1.98

-39.55%

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

$28.0K A$39.8K

$34.2K €30.7K

-18.16%

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

$26.3K A$37.4K

$38.7K €34.8K

-32.11%

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

$184 A$262

$161 €145

14.29%

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

$26.57 A$37.78

$18.41 €16.54

44.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 A$79.5

$32.74 €29.41

70.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.4 A$113

$44.55 €40.03

78.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.81 A$39.55

$19.10 €17.16

45.60%

Cinema Ticket

$16.02 A$22.78

$9.60 €8.62

66.88%

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

$2,460 A$3,498

$668 €600

268.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.3K

$17.6K €15.8K

17.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$108

$102 €91.7

-25.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 A$81.7

$44.46 €39.95

29.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$98.5 €88.5

9.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$189

$124 €111

7.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 A$2,486

$1,608 €1,445

8.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 A$2,126

$1,190 €1,069

25.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 A$4,358

$2,812 €2,527

8.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,978 A$2,813

$2,013 €1,809

-1.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K A$15.8K

$7,839 €7,043

41.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,790 A$11.1K

$4,576 €4,111

70.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,317 A$6,139

$1,575 €1,415

174.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

3.85

54.55%

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

Last update for Canberra: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 20.4% $305

Groceries & Markets

Canberra

$397 13.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 31.5% $125

Eating Out

Canberra

$330 11.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 26.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canberra

$267 9.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 20.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Canberra

$168 5.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Canberra

$117 4.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 46% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Canberra

$111 3.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 42.8% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,749 in Canberra versus $1,608 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 in Canberra are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Canberra versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Canberra

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

11 h behind Canberra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

466,566 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canberra Lisbon 18,050 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Canberra
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

Canberra vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,886 in Canberra, $2,210 in Lisbon – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,329 per month in Canberra and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,749 in Canberra and $1,608 in Lisbon. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,886 in Canberra and $2,210 in Lisbon. That’s a gap of about 31%.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Lisbon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Canberra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.