Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chelmsford and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,567 in Chelmsford, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Chelmsford
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Chelmsford Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Chelmsford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,567

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,567 in Chelmsford versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Chelmsford $2,567
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,761 in Chelmsford versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Chelmsford $3,761
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,954 in Chelmsford versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Chelmsford $4,954
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Chelmsford is roughly 16% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chelmsford 89% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.63 £14.66

$16.65 €14.91

17.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 £54.5

$61.7 €55.3

18.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 £6.85

$11.36 €10.17

-19.28%

Cappuccino

$5.09 £3.80

$2.97 €2.66

71.38%

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

$2.82 £2.10

$2.29 €2.05

23.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 £1.06

$1.74 €1.56

-18.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.40 £5.53

$3.40 €3.05

117.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 £5.47

$3.31 €2.96

121.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.16 €1.04

37.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.91 €1.71

-24.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 £1.97

$1.51 €1.35

74.83%

Eggs

$3.46 £2.58

$4.02 €3.60

-13.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 £7.59

$12.94 €11.59

-21.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.46 £6.31

$7.77 €6.96

8.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.51 £10.09

$17.76 €15.91

-23.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 £1.74

$2.30 €2.06

1.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.73 €1.55

-28.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$1.86 €1.66

59.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 £1.58

$2.59 €2.32

-18.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 £1.32

$1.82 €1.63

-2.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.97 €1.76

-23.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.47 €1.32

-22.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 £1.07

$0.72 €0.65

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.69 £17.69

$6.58 €5.90

260.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.92 £8.90

$5.61 €5.02

112.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 £1.70

$1.36 €1.22

66.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.02

$2.14 €1.91

26.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.04 £3.02

$2.33 €2.09

73.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £77.7

$44.68 €40.01

132.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 £3.64

$3.85 €3.45

26.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.07 €0.96

64.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.23 £19.58

$16.46 €14.74

59.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.50

$2.20 €1.97

-9.09%

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

$38.7K £28.9K

$34.2K €30.6K

13.23%

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

$40.7K £30.4K

$38.7K €34.7K

5.12%

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

$265 £198

$161 €144

64.08%

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

$14.70 £10.98

$18.41 €16.49

-20.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.12 £29.96

$32.74 €29.32

22.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 £38.34

$44.55 €39.90

15.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 £9.04

$9.60 €8.60

26.15%

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

$2,034 £1,518

$668 €598

204.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K £9,870

$17.6K €15.8K

-24.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 £74.6

$102 €91.4

-2.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.75 £32.67

$44.46 €39.82

-1.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 £71.6

$98.5 €88.2

-2.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 £64.7

$124 €111

-29.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 £1,182

$1,608 €1,440

-1.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 £968

$1,190 €1,066

8.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,521 £1,882

$2,812 €2,519

-10.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 £1,662

$2,013 €1,803

10.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,442 £5,557

$7,839 €7,021

-5.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,096 £3,805

$4,576 €4,098

11.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,919 £2,180

$1,575 €1,411

85.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.06

3.85

31.43%

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

Last update for Chelmsford: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chelmsford

$1.3K 50.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 8.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chelmsford

$319 12.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 33.5% $107

Eating Out

Chelmsford

$314 12.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 22.8% $72

Groceries & Markets

Chelmsford

$280 10.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 2.9% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chelmsford

$147 5.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 13% $19

Getting Around

Chelmsford

$134 5.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 52.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Chelmsford

$76 2.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 15.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Chelmsford and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chelmsford pays 85% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Chelmsford vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chelmsford

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

Same time as Chelmsford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,194

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chelmsford Lisbon 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chelmsford
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

Chelmsford vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,567 in Chelmsford and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Chelmsford, 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: $1,583 in Chelmsford versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,034 in Chelmsford 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 3% higher in Chelmsford. 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, Chelmsford 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, Chelmsford on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.