Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Durham: $2,073 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,073 in Durham versus $2,203 in Lisbon.

Durham $2,073
Lisbon $2,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,286 in Durham versus $3,237 in Lisbon.

Durham $3,286
Lisbon $3,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,498 in Durham versus $4,272 in Lisbon.

Durham $4,498
Lisbon $4,272

Living in Durham costs roughly 6% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durham 55% above, Lisbon 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 £14.79

$17.01 €15.18

15.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.4 £70.6

$62.7 €56.0

49.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 £8.61

$11.42 €10.19

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$4.56 £3.44

$3.09 €2.76

47.57%

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

$2.54 £1.92

$2.37 €2.11

7.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.66 €1.48

22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 £4.59

$3.46 €3.09

75.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.03

$3.29 €2.93

62.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.17 €1.04

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.17

$1.87 €1.66

-17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.52 €1.36

99.34%

Eggs

$4.37 £3.30

$3.88 €3.46

12.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 £7.57

$12.87 €11.49

-22.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 £6.69

$7.94 €7.08

11.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 £16.13

$17.63 €15.73

21.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.21

$2.26 €2.01

29.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 £1.91

$1.76 €1.57

43.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 £2.08

$1.88 €1.68

46.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 £3.84

$2.47 €2.20

105.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.18

$1.86 €1.66

-16.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.29

$2.07 €1.85

-17.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.80

$1.39 €1.24

-23.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.42

$0.81 €0.73

132.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.61 £17.84

$6.89 €6.15

242.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 £8.04

$5.53 €4.93

92.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.50

$1.33 €1.19

148.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.38

$2.17 €1.93

45.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 £2.44

$2.24 €2.00

44.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.9 £65.7

$45.14 €40.29

92.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 £4.83

$4.00 €3.57

59.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$1.07 €0.95

80.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 £17.89

$16.53 €14.75

43.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.42

$2.26 €2.02

-16.81%

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

$37.8K £28.6K

$33.5K €29.9K

12.94%

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

$41.1K £31.1K

$40.5K €36.1K

1.54%

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

$265 £200

$164 €146

61.70%

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

$15.21 £11.49

$18.54 €16.55

-17.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.95 £32.45

$33.21 €29.64

29.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.78 £35.35

$46.01 €41.06

1.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.78

Cinema Ticket

$12.51 £9.45

$9.47 €8.45

32.10%

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

$1,300 £982

$690 €615

88.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £19.1K

$16.9K €15.0K

49.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £80.3

$105 €93.4

1.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 £53.9

$45.27 €40.40

57.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 £86.1

$99.0 €88.3

15.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £73.5

$124 €111

-21.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,539 £1,163

$1,583 €1,413

-2.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 £562

$1,209 €1,079

-38.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 £2,011

$2,833 €2,528

-6.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 £1,183

$1,964 €1,753

-20.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,034 £3,804

$7,643 €6,821

-34.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,919

$4,431 €3,954

-12.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,064 £1,559

$1,573 €1,403

31.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

3.79

36.68%

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

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durham

$743 35.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 54% 62.6% $466

Groceries & Markets

Durham

$348 16.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.1% 21.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham

$323 15.5%

Lisbon

$215 9.6% 33.3% $107

Eating Out

Durham

$305 14.6%

Lisbon

$247 11% 18.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Durham

$175 8.4%

Lisbon

$168 7.5% 4.1% $7.2

Getting Around

Durham

$116 5.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 45.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Durham

$72 3.5%

Lisbon

$65 2.9% 9.5% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,539 in Durham and $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $93.0 in Durham vs $63.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Durham

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

Same time as Durham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,100

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durham Lisbon 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Durham
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

Durham vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durham and Lisbon differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,073 vs $2,203 including rent). Durham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Durham, 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: $1,539 in Durham versus $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,073 per month in Durham versus $2,203 in Lisbon – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Durham runs roughly 93% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,073 in Durham versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Durham but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Durham 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, Durham 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 Durham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.