Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gold Coast and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,922 in Gold Coast, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
Learn more

Gold Coast Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,922

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,922 in Gold Coast versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Gold Coast $2,922
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,497 in Gold Coast versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Gold Coast $4,497
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,073 in Gold Coast versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Gold Coast $6,073
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Gold Coast is roughly 32% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gold Coast 115% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 A$29.59

$16.65 €14.96

24.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 A$149

$61.7 €55.5

69.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 A$15.09

$11.36 €10.20

-6.51%

Cappuccino

$3.76 A$5.34

$2.97 €2.67

26.60%

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

$2.83 A$4.02

$2.29 €2.06

23.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.50

$1.74 €1.56

41.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 A$11.05

$3.40 €3.06

128.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 A$10.68

$3.31 €2.97

126.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.23

$1.16 €1.04

35.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.76

$1.91 €1.72

38.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.35

$1.51 €1.36

56.29%

Eggs

$4.90 A$6.97

$4.02 €3.61

21.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 A$12.93

$12.94 €11.62

-29.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 A$13.51

$7.77 €6.99

22.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 A$20.92

$17.76 €15.96

-17.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.61

$2.30 €2.07

71.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.54

$1.73 €1.56

84.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.93

$1.86 €1.67

86.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 A$5.91

$2.59 €2.33

60.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.68

$1.82 €1.64

42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.97 €1.77

25.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.48

$1.47 €1.32

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 A$3.30

$0.72 €0.65

222.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.55 A$64.8

$6.58 €5.92

592.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 A$20.17

$5.61 €5.04

152.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.73 A$8.15

$1.36 €1.22

321.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 A$9.56

$2.14 €1.92

214.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 A$3.88

$2.33 €2.10

17.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 A$79.7

$44.68 €40.14

25.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 A$3.15

$3.85 €3.46

-42.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.34

$1.07 €0.96

54.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.90 A$52.5

$16.46 €14.79

124.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.96

$2.20 €1.98

-37.27%

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

$29.2K A$41.5K

$34.2K €30.7K

-14.62%

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

$26.6K A$37.8K

$38.7K €34.8K

-31.27%

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

$218 A$310

$161 €145

35.31%

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

$31.16 A$44.31

$18.41 €16.54

69.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 A$77.4

$32.74 €29.41

66.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 A$86.3

$44.55 €40.03

36.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.58 A$25.00

$19.10 €17.16

-7.96%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 A$19.20

$9.60 €8.62

40.63%

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

$2,134 A$3,034

$668 €600

219.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K A$17.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

-31.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 A$109

$102 €91.7

-25.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 A$76.2

$44.46 €39.95

20.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$98.5 €88.5

7.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$124 €111

0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 A$3,260

$1,608 €1,445

42.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 A$2,258

$1,190 €1,069

33.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,278 A$4,662

$2,812 €2,527

16.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 A$4,263

$2,013 €1,809

48.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K A$15.4K

$7,839 €7,043

37.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,117 A$10.1K

$4,576 €4,111

55.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,855

$1,575 €1,415

161.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

3.85

47.79%

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

Last update for Gold Coast: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gold Coast

$1.6K 54.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 25.1% $398

Groceries & Markets

Gold Coast

$384 13.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 29.2% $112

Eating Out

Gold Coast

$318 10.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 23.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gold Coast

$304 10.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 30.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Gold Coast

$162 5.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 2.5% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Gold Coast

$88 3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 27.3% $24

Getting Around

Gold Coast

$77 2.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 18.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,293 in Gold Coast and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gold Coast pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $105 in Gold Coast vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

09:13 9:13 AM

10 h behind Gold Coast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,665

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gold Coast Lisbon 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Gold Coast
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

Gold Coast vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gold Coast and Lisbon differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($2,922 vs $2,210 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Gold Coast is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $2,293 in Gold Coast versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 20% less than in Gold Coast. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,134 in Gold Coast versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Gold Coast 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Gold Coast. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.