Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,575 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cham, Switzerland
Lisbon, Portugal
Cham
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,575
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,575 in Cham versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Cham $3,575
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,453 in Cham versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Cham $5,453
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,331 in Cham versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Cham $7,331
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Cham is roughly 62% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cham 163% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cham
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.74 CHF 24.65
$16.65 €14.96
78.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$122 CHF 101
$61.7 €55.5
97.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.93 CHF 14.86
$11.36 €10.20
57.83%
Cappuccino
$5.82 CHF 4.83
$2.97 €2.67
95.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.32 CHF 4.41
$2.29 €2.06
132.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.87 CHF 4.04
$1.74 €1.56
179.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.45 CHF 7.00
$3.40 €3.06
148.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.53 CHF 5.41
$3.31 €2.97
97.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cham
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 CHF 1.76
$1.16 €1.04
83.62%
White Bread (500g)
$3.76 CHF 3.12
$1.91 €1.72
96.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.62 CHF 3.00
$1.51 €1.36
139.74%
Eggs
$7.27 CHF 6.02
$4.02 €3.61
80.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.38 CHF 21.86
$12.94 €11.62
103.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$28.65 CHF 23.75
$7.77 €6.99
268.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$42.06 CHF 34.86
$17.76 €15.96
136.82%
Apples (1kg)
$3.91 CHF 3.24
$2.30 €2.07
70.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.15 CHF 1.78
$1.73 €1.56
24.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.10 CHF 2.57
$1.86 €1.67
66.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.58 CHF 3.79
$2.59 €2.33
76.83%
Potato (1kg)
$2.25 CHF 1.87
$1.82 €1.64
23.63%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 CHF 1.86
$1.97 €1.77
13.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.39 CHF 1.98
$1.47 €1.32
62.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 CHF 0.92
$0.72 €0.65
54.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.02 CHF 9.14
$6.58 €5.92
67.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.08 CHF 10.01
$5.61 €5.04
115.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.82 CHF 2.33
$1.36 €1.22
107.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 CHF 2.57
$2.14 €1.92
44.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Cham
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.13 CHF 4.25
$2.33 €2.10
120.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$146 CHF 121
$44.68 €40.14
226.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.44 CHF 3.68
$3.85 €3.46
15.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.96 CHF 2.45
$1.07 €0.96
176.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.7 CHF 49.45
$16.46 €14.79
262.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 CHF 1.82
$2.20 €1.98
-0.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.7K CHF 32.9K
$34.2K €30.7K
16.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K CHF 33.1K
$38.7K €34.8K
3.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cham
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$286 CHF 237
$161 €145
77.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.15 CHF 24.16
$18.41 €16.54
58.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.8 CHF 45.46
$32.74 €29.41
67.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cham
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$85.3 CHF 70.7
$44.55 €40.03
91.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$40.01 CHF 33.16
$19.10 €17.16
109.48%
Cinema Ticket
$22.10 CHF 18.32
$9.60 €8.62
130.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cham
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,488 CHF 1,233
$668 €600
122.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.7K CHF 20.5K
$17.6K €15.8K
40.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cham
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$137 CHF 114
$102 €91.7
34.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.0 CHF 44.72
$44.46 €39.95
21.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$157 CHF 130
$98.5 €88.5
59.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$249 CHF 206
$124 €111
100.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cham
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,780 CHF 1,476
$1,608 €1,445
10.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,566 CHF 1,298
$1,190 €1,069
31.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,896 CHF 2,400
$2,812 €2,527
2.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,704 CHF 2,242
$2,013 €1,809
34.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.0K CHF 10.8K
$7,839 €7,043
66.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.7K CHF 9,721
$4,576 €4,111
156.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cham
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,575 €1,415
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.03
3.85
-47.27%

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

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cham
$1.6K
Lisbon
$1.2K 24% $376
Groceries & Markets
Cham
$597
Lisbon
$272 54.4% $325
Eating Out
Cham
$458
Lisbon
$243 47% $215
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cham
$370
Lisbon
$212 42.6% $158
Clothing & Footwear
Cham
$268
Lisbon
$166 38.2% $103
Getting Around
Cham
$186
Lisbon
$63 66% $123
Sport & Entertainment
Cham
$129
Lisbon
$64 50.8% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,780 in Cham and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Cham vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $597 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Cham
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
12:02 12:02 PM
11:02 11:02 AM
1 h behind Cham
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
17,060
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.829 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.923 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Cham Lisbon 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cham
  • 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
Cham vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Cham?
Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 62% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $5,362 in Cham and $3,315 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Cham and Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,780 in Cham versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,488 in Cham versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Cham and in Lisbon?
Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Cham or in Lisbon?
At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,575 in Cham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Cham. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Cham or in Lisbon?
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.
Which city is safer, Cham or Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Cham 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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