Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Exeter and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,571 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
Learn more

Exeter Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,571

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,571 in Exeter versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Exeter $2,571
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,846 in Exeter versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Exeter $3,846
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,121 in Exeter versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Exeter $5,121
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Exeter is roughly 16% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Exeter 89% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 £14.88

$16.65 €14.91

19.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.8 £73.1

$61.7 €55.3

58.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 £7.15

$11.36 €10.17

-15.76%

Cappuccino

$4.96 £3.70

$2.97 €2.66

67.00%

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

$3.17 £2.36

$2.29 €2.05

38.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 £1.87

$1.74 €1.56

44.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.45 £5.57

$3.40 €3.05

119.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 £4.60

$3.31 €2.96

86.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.16 €1.04

31.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.91 €1.71

-12.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$1.51 €1.35

17.88%

Eggs

$4.30 £3.21

$4.02 €3.60

6.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 £6.50

$12.94 €11.59

-32.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.71 £6.51

$7.77 €6.96

12.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.73 £17.72

$17.76 €15.91

33.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 £2.33

$2.30 €2.06

35.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.06

$1.73 €1.55

-17.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 £1.73

$1.86 €1.66

24.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.38

$2.59 €2.32

23.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 £1.70

$1.82 €1.63

24.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.97 €1.76

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.47 €1.32

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.45

$0.72 €0.65

170.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.49 £17.54

$6.58 €5.90

256.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 £7.12

$5.61 €5.02

70.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 £2.79

$1.36 €1.22

175.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.30

$2.14 €1.91

106.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.93

$2.33 €2.09

68.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 £83.6

$44.68 €40.01

150.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.29

$3.85 €3.45

49.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 £1.89

$1.07 €0.96

136.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 £17.86

$16.46 €14.74

45.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.20 €1.97

-7.27%

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

$38.7K £28.9K

$34.2K €30.6K

13.17%

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

$40.1K £30.0K

$38.7K €34.7K

3.67%

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

$469 £350

$161 €144

190.67%

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

$15.97 £11.93

$18.41 €16.49

-13.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.00 £35.09

$32.74 €29.32

43.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.72 £29.66

$44.55 €39.90

-10.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.18 £9.84

$19.10 €17.10

-30.99%

Cinema Ticket

$12.62 £9.42

$9.60 €8.60

31.46%

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

$2,180 £1,628

$668 €598

226.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K £13.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

0.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 £50.8

$102 €91.4

-33.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.16 £23.26

$44.46 €39.82

-29.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.7

$98.5 €88.2

7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 £55.4

$124 €111

-39.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 £1,031

$1,608 €1,440

-14.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 £784

$1,190 €1,066

-11.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 £1,613

$2,812 €2,519

-23.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 £1,453

$2,013 €1,803

-3.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,743 £4,288

$7,839 €7,021

-26.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,565 £3,409

$4,576 €4,098

-0.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,062 £2,286

$1,575 €1,411

94.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

3.85

32.73%

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

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Exeter

$1K 40.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 13.4% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Exeter

$532 20.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 60.1% $319

Groceries & Markets

Exeter

$334 13%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 18.4% $61

Eating Out

Exeter

$320 12.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 24.2% $77

Getting Around

Exeter

$146 5.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 56.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Exeter

$125 4.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 32.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Exeter

$65 2.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 1.9% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,381 in Exeter and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Exeter pays 94% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Exeter vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Exeter

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

Same time as Exeter

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,800

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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Exeter Lisbon 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Exeter
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

Exeter vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,571 in Exeter and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 94% higher in Exeter, 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: $1,381 in Exeter versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $98 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,571 per month in Exeter versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Safety-wise, Exeter and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Exeter on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.