Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Cheltenham and in Lisbon: $2,327 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

Cheltenham
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,327
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,327 in Cheltenham versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Cheltenham $2,327
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,528 in Cheltenham versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Cheltenham $3,528
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,729 in Cheltenham versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Cheltenham $4,729
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Cheltenham is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheltenham 72% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cheltenham
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.67 £17.75
$16.50 €14.67
43.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$105 £79.1
$61.3 €54.5
72.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.03 £8.28
$11.27 €10.03
-2.13%
Cappuccino
$4.89 £3.67
$3.06 €2.72
59.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 £1.92
$2.26 €2.01
13.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.73 €1.54
0.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.76 £5.82
$3.39 €3.02
128.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.54 £4.91
$3.40 €3.02
92.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cheltenham
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 £1.30
$1.12 €1.00
54.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.71 £1.29
$1.86 €1.65
-8.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.99 £1.49
$1.53 €1.36
30.07%
Eggs
$4.43 £3.33
$3.96 €3.53
11.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.19 £6.15
$12.76 €11.35
-35.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.59 £7.19
$7.90 €7.02
21.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.09 £9.82
$16.97 €15.09
-22.86%
Apples (1kg)
$3.10 £2.32
$2.27 €2.02
36.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 £1.07
$1.75 €1.55
-18.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 £1.45
$1.85 €1.64
4.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.49 £2.62
$2.57 €2.28
35.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.52 £1.14
$1.86 €1.65
-18.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 £1.13
$2.02 €1.80
-25.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.21 £0.91
$1.44 €1.28
-15.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 £1.07
$0.82 €0.73
73.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.12 £17.35
$6.56 €5.83
252.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.63 £7.98
$5.62 €5.00
89.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.86 £2.15
$1.28 €1.14
123.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.93 £2.20
$2.07 €1.84
41.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Cheltenham
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.44 £2.58
$2.35 €2.09
46.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$92.5 £69.4
$44.18 €39.30
109.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.53 £2.65
$3.99 €3.55
-11.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.09 €0.97
50.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.85 £20.14
$16.64 €14.81
61.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 £1.40
$2.28 €2.03
-17.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.1K £27.8K
$33.7K €30.0K
10.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.2K £30.9K
$39.3K €35.0K
4.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cheltenham
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$341 £256
$167 €149
103.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.10 £12.83
$18.80 €16.72
-9.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.0 £38.24
$33.09 €29.43
54.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cheltenham
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.28 £33.22
$46.01 €40.93
-3.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$39.01 £29.27
$19.19 €17.07
103.28%
Cinema Ticket
$14.00 £10.50
$9.84 €8.75
42.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cheltenham
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,020 £1,516
$677 €602
198.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.2K £18.9K
$16.9K €15.1K
48.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cheltenham
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$98.2 £73.7
$101 €90.1
-2.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.22 £36.18
$45.76 €40.70
5.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 £79.4
$100.0 €88.9
5.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.9 £72.7
$123 €109
-21.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cheltenham
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,161 £871
$1,614 €1,436
-28.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$929 £697
$1,197 €1,065
-22.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,149 £1,613
$2,862 €2,545
-24.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,617 £1,213
$1,990 €1,770
-18.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,704 £4,279
$7,577 €6,740
-24.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,676 £4,258
$4,307 €3,831
31.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cheltenham
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,753 £3,566
$1,588 €1,412
199.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
3.85
43.90%

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

Last update for Cheltenham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cheltenham
$929
Lisbon
$1.2K 28.9% $269
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cheltenham
$409
Lisbon
$219 46.3% $189
Eating Out
Cheltenham
$350
Lisbon
$242 30.8% $108
Groceries & Markets
Cheltenham
$292
Lisbon
$269 7.8% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Cheltenham
$157
Lisbon
$166 5.9% $9.3
Getting Around
Cheltenham
$118
Lisbon
$63 46.6% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Cheltenham
$72
Lisbon
$66 9.1% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,161 in Cheltenham and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 199% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $105 in Cheltenham vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Cheltenham
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
16:51 4:51 PM
16:51 4:51 PM
Same time as Cheltenham
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
115,300
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cheltenham Lisbon 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cheltenham
  • 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
Cheltenham vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Cheltenham?
Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cheltenham or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 199% higher in Cheltenham, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Cheltenham and Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,161 in Cheltenham versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Cheltenham or in Lisbon?
Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $105 in Cheltenham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Cheltenham and in Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $2,327 per month in Cheltenham versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Cheltenham or in Lisbon?
At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,327 in Cheltenham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cheltenham or Lisbon more family-friendly?
For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cheltenham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cheltenham or Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Cheltenham 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 5% less than in Cheltenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cheltenham vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?