Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colchester and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Colchester and in Lisbon: $2,298 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

112

Cost of Living Index in Colchester
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Colchester Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Colchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,298

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,298 per month in Colchester vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Colchester $2,298
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $3,409 per month in Colchester vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Colchester $3,409
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $4,521 per month in Colchester vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Colchester $4,521
Lisbon $4,319

Colchester costs about 3% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Colchester and Lisbon sit above the global median – Colchester by 70%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.69 £15.52

$16.50 €14.67

25.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.0 £69.1

$61.3 €54.5

50.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.96

$11.27 €10.03

-5.86%

Cappuccino

$5.41 £4.06

$3.06 €2.72

76.80%

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

$2.72 £2.04

$2.26 €2.01

20.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.73 €1.54

2.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 £5.30

$3.39 €3.02

108.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 £5.22

$3.40 €3.02

104.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.12 €1.00

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.86 €1.65

-25.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.53 €1.36

9.80%

Eggs

$2.98 £2.23

$3.96 €3.53

-24.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 £6.91

$12.76 €11.35

-27.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 £5.69

$7.90 €7.02

-4.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 £10.86

$16.97 €15.09

-14.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 £2.37

$2.27 €2.02

38.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.75 €1.55

-20.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 £2.10

$1.85 €1.64

50.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$2.57 €2.28

27.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.86 €1.65

-14.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$2.02 €1.80

-28.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.44 €1.28

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.82 €0.73

70.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.30 £17.48

$6.56 €5.83

255.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.73 £8.05

$5.62 €5.00

90.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 £2.07

$1.28 €1.14

115.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

$2.07 €1.84

69.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.72 £2.79

$2.35 €2.09

58.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £75.6

$44.18 €39.30

128.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 £4.33

$3.99 €3.55

44.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.09 €0.97

23.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.93 £15.70

$16.64 €14.81

25.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.28 €2.03

-10.53%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

13.20%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

1.15%

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

$252 £189

$167 €149

50.18%

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

$24.86 £18.65

$18.80 €16.72

32.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.54 £31.16

$33.09 €29.43

25.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.8 £50.8

$46.01 €40.93

47.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.75 £8.07

$19.19 €17.07

-43.98%

Cinema Ticket

$21.25 £15.94

$9.84 €8.75

115.96%

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

$1,061 £796

$677 €602

56.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K £15.1K

$16.9K €15.1K

18.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 £53.1

$101 €90.1

-30.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.15 £23.37

$45.76 €40.70

-31.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 £58.6

$100.0 €88.9

-21.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.87 £37.41

$123 €109

-59.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 £943

$1,614 €1,436

-22.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 £771

$1,197 €1,065

-14.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 £1,392

$2,862 €2,545

-35.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 £1,263

$1,990 €1,770

-15.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,983 £3,739

$7,577 €6,740

-34.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,357 £2,519

$4,307 €3,831

-22.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,499 £2,625

$1,588 €1,412

120.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

3.85

27.53%

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

Last update for Colchester: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colchester

$1K 44.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 16.5% $170

Eating Out

Colchester

$330 14.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 26.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colchester

$318 13.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 31% $99

Groceries & Markets

Colchester

$281 12.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 4.1% $12

Getting Around

Colchester

$128 5.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 50.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Colchester

$110 4.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 40.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Colchester

$103 4.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 60.9% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,256 in Colchester versus $1,614 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 run about 120% higher in Colchester, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Colchester versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Colchester

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

Same time as Colchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,098

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Colchester Lisbon 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Colchester
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

Colchester vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,298 in Colchester, $2,223 in Lisbon – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,447 per month in Colchester and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 128% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,061 per month in Colchester and $677 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Colchester at $2,298. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Colchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,223 in Lisbon to $2,298 in Colchester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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