Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlton and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,328 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Carlton despite lower rent and utilities.

112

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,328

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,328 in Carlton versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Carlton $2,328
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,353 in Carlton versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Carlton $3,353
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Carlton versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Carlton $4,379
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Carlton is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carlton 71% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 A$24.64

$16.65 €14.91

4.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 A$98.2

$61.7 €55.3

11.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 A$14.61

$11.36 €10.17

-9.51%

Cappuccino

$3.03 A$4.31

$2.97 €2.66

2.02%

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

$2.70 A$3.84

$2.29 €2.05

17.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 A$2.91

$1.74 €1.56

17.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 A$9.50

$3.40 €3.05

96.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 A$9.38

$3.31 €2.96

99.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.85

$1.16 €1.04

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 A$2.95

$1.91 €1.71

8.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 A$1.98

$1.51 €1.35

-7.95%

Eggs

$3.41 A$4.84

$4.02 €3.60

-15.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 A$14.78

$12.94 €11.59

-19.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.16

$7.77 €6.96

28.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.94 A$21.23

$17.76 €15.91

-15.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 A$4.71

$2.30 €2.06

43.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 A$3.92

$1.73 €1.55

59.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.65

$1.86 €1.66

75.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 A$6.78

$2.59 €2.32

84.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.42

$1.82 €1.63

32.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.09

$1.97 €1.76

10.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 A$3.20

$1.47 €1.32

53.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 A$1.28

$0.72 €0.65

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.30 A$35.96

$6.58 €5.90

284.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 A$15.08

$5.61 €5.02

89.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.57 A$7.92

$1.36 €1.22

309.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.50

$2.14 €1.91

146.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.38

$2.33 €2.09

32.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 A$118

$44.68 €40.01

85.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 A$5.21

$3.85 €3.45

-4.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 A$1.76

$1.07 €0.96

15.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.46 A$37.61

$16.46 €14.74

60.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.84

$2.20 €1.97

-41.36%

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

$18.2K A$25.9K

$34.2K €30.6K

-46.66%

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

$14.0K A$20.0K

$38.7K €34.7K

-63.73%

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

$93.2 A$132

$161 €144

-42.21%

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

$28.34 A$40.28

$18.41 €16.49

53.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.79 A$66.5

$32.74 €29.32

42.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 A$45.27

$44.55 €39.90

-28.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.90 A$25.45

$19.10 €17.10

-6.28%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 A$19.13

$9.60 €8.60

40.21%

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

$2,108 A$2,996

$668 €598

215.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K A$17.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

-29.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$114

$102 €91.4

-21.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 A$72.5

$44.46 €39.82

14.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 A$99.0

$98.5 €88.2

-29.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$187

$124 €111

6.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,003

$1,608 €1,440

-12.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 A$1,755

$1,190 €1,066

3.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,220 A$3,156

$2,812 €2,519

-21.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 A$2,611

$2,013 €1,803

-8.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,665 A$8,052

$7,839 €7,021

-27.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,619 A$6,565

$4,576 €4,098

0.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,904 A$8,392

$1,575 €1,411

274.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.85

53.25%

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

Last update for Carlton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlton

$1.2K 53.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 3.6% $45

Groceries & Markets

Carlton

$340 14.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 19.9% $68

Eating Out

Carlton

$272 11.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 10.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlton

$168 7.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 26.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Carlton

$150 6.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 11% $16

Getting Around

Carlton

$105 4.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 39.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Carlton

$59 2.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 8.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,409 in Carlton and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Carlton vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Carlton

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

04:46 4:46 AM

11 h behind Carlton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,001

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Carlton Lisbon 17,760 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlton
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

Carlton vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,328 in Carlton and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Carlton is about 3.7 times higher, 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: $1,409 in Carlton versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,108 in Carlton versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Carlton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Carlton and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Carlton on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.