Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chester and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,405 in Chester, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Chester
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Chester Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Chester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,405

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,405 per month in Chester vs $2,206 in Lisbon, rent included.

Chester $2,405
Lisbon $2,206

A couple spends around $3,486 per month in Chester vs $3,276 in Lisbon, rent included.

Chester $3,486
Lisbon $3,276

A family of three spends $4,568 per month in Chester vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Chester $4,568
Lisbon $4,346

Chester costs about 9% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chester and Lisbon sit above the global median – Chester by 78%, Lisbon by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.88 £14.80

$16.86 €15.04

17.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 £65.6

$61.0 €54.5

44.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 £7.94

$10.98 €9.80

-2.82%

Cappuccino

$5.24 £3.90

$3.05 €2.72

71.80%

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

$2.55 £1.90

$2.28 €2.04

11.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.34

$1.68 €1.50

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 £4.89

$3.44 €3.07

91.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 £4.94

$3.91 €3.48

69.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.15 €1.02

48.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.89 €1.68

-7.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.71

$1.50 €1.34

53.33%

Eggs

$4.23 £3.15

$4.12 €3.67

2.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 £6.79

$13.01 €11.60

-29.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 £6.67

$8.04 €7.18

11.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 £10.61

$17.89 €15.96

-20.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.19

$2.27 €2.03

29.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.74 €1.56

-1.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.13

$1.82 €1.62

57.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 £2.22

$2.69 €2.40

10.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 £1.49

$1.77 €1.58

12.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.94 €1.73

-24.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.46 €1.31

-13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.21

$0.76 €0.68

114.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.13 £17.96

$6.66 €5.94

262.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 £8.33

$5.64 €5.03

98.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.26

$1.29 €1.15

134.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.42

$2.14 €1.91

52.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.07

$2.30 €2.05

79.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.8 £54.2

$44.02 €39.26

65.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 £3.52

$3.98 €3.55

18.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 £1.27

$0.64 €0.57

167.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.77 £16.20

$18.93 €16.88

15.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$2.28 €2.03

-9.65%

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

$38.4K £28.6K

$33.4K €29.8K

14.98%

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

$40.9K £30.4K

$38.5K €34.3K

6.10%

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

$322 £239

$158 €141

103.29%

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

$21.03 £15.65

$17.54 €15.64

19.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.39 £31.55

$31.18 €27.82

35.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.10 £26.87

$44.64 €39.82

-19.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 £11.39

$18.98 €16.93

-19.34%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 £10.08

$9.58 €8.54

41.34%

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

$1,775 £1,321

$674 €601

163.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K £18.0K

$18.7K €16.7K

29.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 £65.9

$102 €91.2

-13.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 £28.47

$45.90 €40.94

-16.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.8

$102 €91.2

-0.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.0 £68.5

$122 €109

-24.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 £1,043

$1,641 €1,463

-14.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 £810

$1,187 €1,059

-8.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 £1,605

$2,825 €2,519

-23.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 £1,270

$2,018 €1,800

-15.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 £3,238

$7,836 €6,989

-44.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,187 £2,372

$4,701 €4,193

-32.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,138 £3,081

$1,687 €1,505

145.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

3.82

34.82%

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

Last update for Chester: October 31, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chester

$1.1K 45.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 9.1% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chester

$385 16%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 46.3% $178

Eating Out

Chester

$317 13.2%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 22.7% $72

Groceries & Markets

Chester

$305 12.7%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 9.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chester

$144 6%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 16.1% $23

Getting Around

Chester

$103 4.3%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 41.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chester

$63 2.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,401 in Chester versus $1,641 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 Chester are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Chester versus $61 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $305 vs $275 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chester

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

Same time as Chester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,000

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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.744 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chester Lisbon 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chester
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

Chester vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chester costs about 9% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,608 per month in Chester and $3,309 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chester, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,401 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $1,775 per month in Chester and $674 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Chester, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,405 in Chester and $2,206 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,206 in Lisbon to $2,405 in Chester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.