Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,543 in Forbes versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Forbes $2,543
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,751 in Forbes versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Forbes $3,751
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,958 in Forbes versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Forbes $4,958
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Forbes is roughly 15% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Forbes 87% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 A$22.54

$16.65 €14.92

-4.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 A$134

$61.7 €55.3

53.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 A$16.02

$11.36 €10.18

-0.44%

Cappuccino

$3.52 A$4.99

$2.97 €2.66

18.52%

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

$2.99 A$4.23

$2.29 €2.05

30.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.36

$1.74 €1.56

36.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 A$9.89

$3.40 €3.05

105.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 A$10.49

$3.31 €2.97

123.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.40

$1.16 €1.04

45.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 A$3.43

$1.91 €1.71

26.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.03

$1.51 €1.36

41.72%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.08

$4.02 €3.60

24.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.40

$12.94 €11.59

-21.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.49

$7.77 €6.97

22.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 A$19.43

$17.76 €15.92

-22.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 A$5.35

$2.30 €2.06

64.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.26

$1.73 €1.55

73.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.04

$1.86 €1.66

90.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.97

$2.59 €2.32

89.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.54

$1.82 €1.63

37.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$1.97 €1.76

29.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 A$3.23

$1.47 €1.32

55.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 A$2.06

$0.72 €0.65

101.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.43 A$65.8

$6.58 €5.90

605.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 A$17.51

$5.61 €5.02

120.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.73

$1.36 €1.22

249.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 A$8.21

$2.14 €1.91

171.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 A$3.76

$2.33 €2.09

14.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$44.68 €40.04

75.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 A$5.25

$3.85 €3.45

-3.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 A$2.44

$1.07 €0.96

60.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.70 A$64.7

$16.46 €14.75

177.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.78

$2.20 €1.97

-43.18%

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

$33.8K A$47.9K

$34.2K €30.6K

-1.08%

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

$28.1K A$39.9K

$38.7K €34.7K

-27.31%

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

$195 A$276

$161 €144

20.89%

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

$23.66 A$33.52

$18.41 €16.50

28.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 A$75.6

$32.74 €29.34

63.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 A$83.7

$44.55 €39.92

32.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 A$27.93

$19.10 €17.11

3.25%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 A$17.07

$9.60 €8.60

25.52%

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

$2,301 A$3,259

$668 €598

244.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K A$30.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

21.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 A$114

$102 €91.4

-20.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 A$80.4

$44.46 €39.85

27.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$165

$98.5 €88.3

18.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$175

$124 €111

0.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 A$2,207

$1,608 €1,441

-3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,810

$1,190 €1,066

7.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 A$3,488

$2,812 €2,520

-12.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 A$2,892

$2,013 €1,804

1.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,228 A$7,405

$7,839 €7,025

-33.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,146 A$7,290

$4,576 €4,100

12.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.85

53.25%

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

Last update for Forbes: 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

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 6.9% $88

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$364 14.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 25.2% $92

Eating Out

Forbes

$275 10.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 11.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$272 10.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 21.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$170 6.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 2.4% $4.1

Getting Around

Forbes

$101 4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 37.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$83 3.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 23.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,558 in Forbes and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $95 in Forbes vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

05:25 5:25 AM

11 h behind Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Forbes Lisbon 17,880 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Forbes
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

Forbes vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,543 in Forbes and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,814 in Forbes and $3,315 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,558 in Forbes versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,543 per month in Forbes versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 43% less than in Forbes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

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