Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,073 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Darwin versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Darwin $3,073
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,118 in Darwin versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Darwin $4,118
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Darwin versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Darwin $5,163
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Darwin is roughly 39% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Darwin 126% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.40 A$31.85

$16.65 €14.96

34.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 A$129

$61.7 €55.5

46.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 A$16.16

$11.36 €10.20

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.01

$2.97 €2.67

42.42%

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

$3.46 A$4.92

$2.29 €2.06

51.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 A$4.28

$1.74 €1.56

72.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 A$10.76

$3.40 €3.06

122.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 A$10.77

$3.31 €2.97

128.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 A$2.19

$1.16 €1.04

32.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 A$4.32

$1.91 €1.72

59.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 A$3.13

$1.51 €1.36

45.70%

Eggs

$4.47 A$6.35

$4.02 €3.61

11.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.68

$12.94 €11.62

-31.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 A$11.82

$7.77 €6.99

6.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 A$12.58

$17.76 €15.96

-50.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.47

$2.30 €2.07

67.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.10

$1.73 €1.56

66.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$1.86 €1.67

50.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.15

$2.59 €2.33

94.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$1.82 €1.64

40.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.27

$1.97 €1.77

16.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 A$2.93

$1.47 €1.32

40.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.09

$0.72 €0.65

201.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.35 A$64.5

$6.58 €5.92

589.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 A$17.28

$5.61 €5.04

116.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.13 A$14.40

$1.36 €1.22

644.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 A$11.19

$2.14 €1.92

267.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.37 A$68.8

$44.68 €40.14

8.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 A$5.25

$3.85 €3.46

-4.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.07 €0.96

26.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.52 A$69.0

$16.46 €14.79

194.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$2.20 €1.98

-39.55%

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

$30.0K A$42.6K

$34.2K €30.7K

-12.37%

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

$33.4K A$47.5K

$38.7K €34.8K

-13.80%

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

$215 A$305

$161 €145

33.07%

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

$33.49 A$47.61

$18.41 €16.54

81.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 A$86.7

$32.74 €29.41

86.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 A$104

$44.55 €40.03

63.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.22 A$40.13

$19.10 €17.16

47.75%

Cinema Ticket

$16.99 A$24.16

$9.60 €8.62

76.98%

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

$1,939 A$2,756

$668 €600

190.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,442 A$12.0K

$17.6K €15.8K

-52.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 A$121

$102 €91.7

-16.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 A$66.2

$44.46 €39.95

4.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$98.5 €88.5

7.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$196

$124 €111

11.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 A$2,444

$1,608 €1,445

6.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,430

$1,190 €1,069

43.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 A$3,985

$2,812 €2,527

-0.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 A$3,021

$2,013 €1,809

5.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,771 A$5,363

$7,839 €7,043

-51.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,536 A$5,028

$4,576 €4,111

-22.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,223 A$6,005

$1,575 €1,415

168.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

3.85

59.48%

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

Last update for Darwin: 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

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 30.4% $519

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 27.8% $105

Eating Out

Darwin

$343 11.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 29.2% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$309 10.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 31.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$169 5.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1.7% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$107 3.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 40.4% $43

Getting Around

Darwin

$59 * 1.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 7.5% $4.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,719 in Darwin and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darwin pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Darwin vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $377 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

11:55 11:55 AM

9 h 30 min behind Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

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

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Darwin Lisbon 15,110 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
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

Darwin vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Darwin is about 2.7 times higher, 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: $1,719 in Darwin versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Darwin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $91 in Darwin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,073 in Darwin, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Darwin. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Darwin 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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Darwin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.