Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ely, Cambridgeshire and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,350 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Ely, Cambridgeshire despite lower rent and utilities.

Ely, Cambridgeshire
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,350
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,350 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Ely, Cambridgeshire $2,350
  • Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $3,545 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Ely, Cambridgeshire $3,545
  • Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $4,740 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Ely, Cambridgeshire $4,740
  • Lisbon $4,319

Ely, Cambridgeshire costs about 6% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ely, Cambridgeshire and Lisbon sit above the global median – Ely, Cambridgeshire by 74%, Lisbon by 65%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.60 £17.70
$16.50 €14.67
43.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$93.9 £70.5
$61.3 €54.5
53.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.23 £9.93
$11.27 €10.03
17.39%
Cappuccino
$5.04 £3.78
$3.06 €2.72
64.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 £1.84
$2.26 €2.01
8.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.76 £1.32
$1.73 €1.54
1.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.14 £3.86
$3.39 €3.02
51.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 £2.48
$3.40 €3.02
-2.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 £0.93
$1.12 €1.00
9.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.86 €1.65
-11.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.66 £1.99
$1.53 €1.36
73.86%
Eggs
$3.51 £2.64
$3.96 €3.53
-11.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.60 £7.95
$12.76 €11.35
-16.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.14 £8.35
$7.90 €7.02
41.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 £12.73
$16.97 €15.09
-
Apples (1kg)
$3.99 £2.99
$2.27 €2.02
75.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 £0.98
$1.75 €1.55
-25.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 £1.93
$1.85 €1.64
38.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.23 £3.17
$2.57 €2.28
64.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 £1.21
$1.86 €1.65
-13.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 £1.22
$2.02 €1.80
-19.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 £0.86
$1.44 €1.28
-20.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 £1.11
$0.82 €0.73
80.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.82 £15.62
$6.56 €5.83
217.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.68 £8.01
$5.62 €5.00
90.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 £1.63
$1.28 €1.14
69.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 £2.07
$2.07 €1.84
33.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.70 £4.27
$2.35 €2.09
142.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.3 £42.25
$44.18 €39.30
27.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.19 £3.14
$3.99 €3.55
5.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 £1.78
$1.09 €0.97
117.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$16.64 €14.81
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.14 £1.60
$2.28 €2.03
-6.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.3K £30.2K
$33.7K €30.0K
19.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.7K £31.3K
$39.3K €35.0K
6.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$274 £205
$167 €149
63.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.82 £12.62
$18.80 €16.72
-10.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.97 £24.73
$33.09 €29.43
-0.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.38 £32.54
$46.01 €40.93
-5.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.58 £11.69
$19.19 €17.07
-18.81%
Cinema Ticket
$15.96 £11.97
$9.84 €8.75
62.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,716 £1,288
$677 €602
153.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K £11.0K
$16.9K €15.1K
-13.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.5 £71.7
$101 €90.1
-5.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 £41.57
$45.76 €40.70
21.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$123 £92.6
$100.0 €88.9
23.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 £78.0
$123 €109
-15.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,130 £848
$1,614 €1,436
-29.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,029 £772
$1,197 €1,065
-14.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,860 £1,396
$2,862 €2,545
-34.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,753 £1,315
$1,990 €1,770
-11.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,848 £4,387
$7,577 €6,740
-22.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,049 £3,788
$4,307 €3,831
17.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,284 £2,464
$1,588 €1,412
106.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.62
3.85
20.00%

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

Last update for Ely, Cambridgeshire: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$1K
Lisbon
$1.2K 16.4% $168
Eating Out
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$338
Lisbon
$242 28.4% $96
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$324
Lisbon
$219 32.2% $104
Groceries & Markets
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$319
Lisbon
$269 15.6% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$170
Lisbon
$166 2.2% $3.8
Getting Around
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$95
Lisbon
$63 33.8% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$75
Lisbon
$66 12.8% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Ely, Cambridgeshire 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 107% higher in Ely, Cambridgeshire, 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 $94.0 in Ely, Cambridgeshire versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Ely, Cambridgeshire
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
02:20 2:20 AM
02:20 2:20 AM
Same time as Ely, Cambridgeshire
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,574
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 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ely, Cambridgeshire Lisbon 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ely, Cambridgeshire
  • 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
Ely, Cambridgeshire vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Ely, Cambridgeshire?
Yes – Ely, Cambridgeshire is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,525 per month in Ely, Cambridgeshire and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
What are total monthly expenses in Ely, Cambridgeshire and in Lisbon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,350 in Ely, Cambridgeshire and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 6%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 27% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Ely, Cambridgeshire or in Lisbon?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Ely, Cambridgeshire at $2,350. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ely, Cambridgeshire it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Ely, Cambridgeshire or Lisbon more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Lisbon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Ely, Cambridgeshire or Lisbon?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ely, Cambridgeshire makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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