Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $4,051 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

197

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,051

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,051 per month in Geneva vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Geneva $4,051
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $6,137 per month in Geneva vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Geneva $6,137
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $8,222 per month in Geneva vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Geneva $8,222
Lisbon $4,319

Geneva costs about 82% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Geneva and Lisbon sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

$16.50 €14.67

82.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 108

$61.3 €54.5

114.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.29 CHF 15.06

$11.27 €10.03

62.29%

Cappuccino

$6.12 CHF 5.04

$3.06 €2.72

100.00%

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

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$2.26 €2.01

107.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 CHF 3.50

$1.73 €1.54

145.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.98

$3.39 €3.02

185.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.65 CHF 7.95

$3.40 €3.02

183.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$1.12 €1.00

100.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$1.86 €1.65

80.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$1.53 €1.36

122.22%

Eggs

$7.86 CHF 6.47

$3.96 €3.53

98.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.91 CHF 20.52

$12.76 €11.35

95.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.00 CHF 23.88

$7.90 €7.02

267.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.83 CHF 34.45

$16.97 €15.09

146.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$2.27 €2.02

56.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$1.75 €1.55

-6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.21

$1.85 €1.64

45.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CHF 3.92

$2.57 €2.28

85.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$1.86 €1.65

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.02 €1.80

6.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$1.44 €1.28

53.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CHF 1.31

$0.82 €0.73

93.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.05

$6.56 €5.83

67.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 CHF 9.76

$5.62 €5.00

110.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 CHF 2.54

$1.28 €1.14

140.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 CHF 2.73

$2.07 €1.84

59.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$2.35 €2.09

57.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 CHF 74.5

$44.18 €39.30

104.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$3.99 €3.55

87.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.94 CHF 3.25

$1.09 €0.97

261.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.5 CHF 51.5

$16.64 €14.81

275.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.28 €2.03

0.88%

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

$37.9K CHF 31.2K

$33.7K €30.0K

12.65%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

$39.3K €35.0K

-2.81%

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

$281 CHF 231

$167 €149

67.65%

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

$36.24 CHF 29.85

$18.80 €16.72

92.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 CHF 47.62

$33.09 €29.43

74.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 CHF 62.5

$46.01 €40.93

64.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.57 CHF 36.71

$19.19 €17.07

132.26%

Cinema Ticket

$23.65 CHF 19.48

$9.84 €8.75

140.35%

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

$2,349 CHF 1,935

$677 €602

246.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K CHF 28.8K

$16.9K €15.1K

106.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$101 €90.1

35.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.4 CHF 65.4

$45.76 €40.70

73.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$100.0 €88.9

63.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$123 €109

50.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,816 CHF 2,320

$1,614 €1,436

74.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 CHF 1,732

$1,197 €1,065

75.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,789 CHF 3,945

$2,862 €2,545

67.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 CHF 3,023

$1,990 €1,770

84.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.3K CHF 18.4K

$7,577 €6,740

194.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$4,307 €3,831

263.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,268 CHF 5,986

$1,588 €1,412

357.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

3.85

-48.57%

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

Last update for Geneva: 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

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 43.1% $906

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$591 14.6%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 54.4% $322

Eating Out

Geneva

$473 11.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 48.8% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 41.5% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$254 6.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 34.5% $88

Getting Around

Geneva

$132 3.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 52.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$123 3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 46.7% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,816 in Geneva 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 358% higher in Geneva, 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 $132 in Geneva versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $591 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

06:00 6:00 AM

1 h behind Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Geneva Lisbon 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Geneva
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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

Geneva vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,077 per month in Geneva and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Groceries cost about 119% more in Geneva, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $132 in Geneva and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Geneva at $4,051. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Geneva it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Geneva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.