Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ferrara and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ferrara: $1,582 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Ferrara
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Ferrara Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ferrara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,582

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,582 in Ferrara versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Ferrara $1,582
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,476 in Ferrara versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Ferrara $2,476
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,370 in Ferrara versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Ferrara $3,370
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Ferrara costs roughly 29% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ferrara 17% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.96 €15.98

$16.50 €14.67

8.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 €60.4

$61.3 €54.5

10.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 €9.85

$11.27 €10.03

-1.77%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.70

$3.06 €2.72

-37.25%

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

$2.63 €2.34

$2.26 €2.01

16.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.73 €1.54

-32.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 €4.93

$3.39 €3.02

63.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.40 €3.02

60.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.12 €1.00

44.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.86 €1.65

46.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 €2.78

$1.53 €1.36

104.58%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.13

$3.96 €3.53

17.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.61 €15.67

$12.76 €11.35

38.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 €10.06

$7.90 €7.02

43.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.40 €21.70

$16.97 €15.09

43.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$2.27 €2.02

30.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.75 €1.55

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 €3.34

$1.85 €1.64

103.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 €3.85

$2.57 €2.28

68.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.86 €1.65

29.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.02 €1.80

18.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.44 €1.28

29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.30

$0.82 €0.73

-58.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$6.56 €5.83

1.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.33 €3.85

$5.62 €5.00

-22.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.28 €1.14

9.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.07 €1.84

2.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.35 €2.09

-12.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.25 €26.91

$44.18 €39.30

-31.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.28 €7.37

$3.99 €3.55

107.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.09 €0.97

75.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.91 €30.16

$16.64 €14.81

103.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.28 €2.03

-7.89%

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

$35.6K €31.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

5.60%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-8.34%

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

$139 €124

$167 €149

-16.87%

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

$9.52 €8.47

$18.80 €16.72

-49.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.59 €24.54

$33.09 €29.43

-16.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 €33.09

$46.01 €40.93

-19.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.97 €14.20

$19.19 €17.07

-16.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 €7.83

$9.84 €8.75

-10.57%

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

$337 €300

$677 €602

-50.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,930

$16.9K €15.1K

-40.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €83.5

$101 €90.1

-7.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.56 €29.85

$45.76 €40.70

-26.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$100.0 €88.9

4.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.8

$123 €109

-15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 €552

$1,614 €1,436

-61.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 €470

$1,197 €1,065

-55.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,122

$2,862 €2,545

-55.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$886 €788

$1,990 €1,770

-55.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,314 €2,058

$7,577 €6,740

-69.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 €1,568

$4,307 €3,831

-59.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,618 €1,439

$1,588 €1,412

1.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

3.85

-12.47%

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

Last update for Ferrara: 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

Ferrara

$529 33.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 126% $668

Groceries & Markets

Ferrara

$361 22.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 25.4% $92

Eating Out

Ferrara

$254 16%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 4.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ferrara

$176 11.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 24.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Ferrara

$151 9.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 10.4% $16

Getting Around

Ferrara

$56 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 11.8% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Ferrara

$55 3.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 19.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $621 in Ferrara and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ferrara pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Ferrara vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ferrara

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

17:45 5:45 PM

1 h behind Ferrara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,155

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ferrara Lisbon 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ferrara
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

Ferrara vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ferrara wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ferrara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Ferrara, 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: $621 in Ferrara versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ferrara – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,582 per month in Ferrara versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,582 in Ferrara versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ferrara but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ferrara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ferrara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,582 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ferrara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ferrara 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 Ferrara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.