Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grays and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,369 in Grays, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Grays despite lower rent and utilities.

Grays
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,369
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,369 per month in Grays vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Grays $2,369
  • Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $3,403 per month in Grays vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Grays $3,403
  • Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $4,437 per month in Grays vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Grays $4,437
  • Lisbon $4,319

Grays costs about 7% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Grays and Lisbon sit above the global median – Grays by 75%, Lisbon by 65%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Grays
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.94 £18.71
$16.50 €14.67
51.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.3 £39.24
$61.3 €54.5
-14.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.98 £7.49
$11.27 €10.03
-11.45%
Cappuccino
$4.64 £3.48
$3.06 €2.72
51.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 £2.90
$2.26 €2.01
70.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 £2.49
$1.73 €1.54
91.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.40 £4.05
$3.39 €3.02
59.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.88 £5.91
$3.40 €3.02
131.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Grays
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 £1.16
$1.12 €1.00
38.39%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 £1.10
$1.86 €1.65
-20.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.53 €1.36
7.19%
Eggs
$4.41 £3.31
$3.96 €3.53
11.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.06 £9.05
$12.76 €11.35
-5.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.17 £6.88
$7.90 €7.02
16.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.11 £11.33
$16.97 €15.09
-10.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 £2.21
$2.27 €2.02
29.96%
Banana (1kg)
$1.89 £1.42
$1.75 €1.55
8.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.11
$1.85 €1.64
52.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 £2.83
$2.57 €2.28
46.69%
Potato (1kg)
$2.20 £1.65
$1.86 €1.65
18.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.79 £1.35
$2.02 €1.80
-11.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 £0.88
$1.44 €1.28
-18.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 £1.07
$0.82 €0.73
74.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.07 £12.80
$6.56 €5.83
160.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.87 £8.16
$5.62 €5.00
93.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.04 £2.28
$1.28 €1.14
137.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 £2.42
$2.07 €1.84
56.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Grays
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.54 £2.66
$2.35 €2.09
50.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.5 £73.1
$44.18 €39.30
120.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.88 £3.66
$3.99 €3.55
22.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.69 £2.02
$1.09 €0.97
146.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.12 £29.35
$16.64 €14.81
135.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.06 £1.54
$2.28 €2.03
-9.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K £29.0K
$33.7K €30.0K
14.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$39.3K €35.0K
4.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Grays
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$280 £210
$167 €149
66.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.46 £12.35
$18.80 €16.72
-12.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.70 £33.53
$33.09 €29.43
35.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Grays
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.48 £34.87
$46.01 €40.93
1.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.19 €17.07
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.16 £8.37
$9.84 €8.75
13.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Grays
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,079 £1,559
$677 €602
206.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.6K £23.0K
$16.9K €15.1K
81.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Grays
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.9 £68.2
$101 €90.1
-10.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.44 £33.34
$45.76 €40.70
-2.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 £78.4
$100.0 €88.9
4.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.0 £66.0
$123 €109
-28.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Grays
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,235 £926
$1,614 €1,436
-23.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 £759
$1,197 €1,065
-15.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,126 £1,595
$2,862 €2,545
-25.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,634 £1,226
$1,990 €1,770
-17.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,052 £3,790
$7,577 €6,740
-33.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,847 £2,886
$4,307 €3,831
-10.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Grays
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,588 €1,412
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.12
3.85
32.99%

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

Last update for Grays: 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
Grays
$1K
Lisbon
$1.2K 18.3% $185
Eating Out
Grays
$357
Lisbon
$242 32.1% $115
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Grays
$341
Lisbon
$219 35.6% $121
Groceries & Markets
Grays
$313
Lisbon
$269 14% $44
Clothing & Footwear
Grays
$148
Lisbon
$166 12.8% $19
Getting Around
Grays
$130
Lisbon
$63 51.5% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Grays
$69
Lisbon
$66 4.5% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,235 in Grays 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Grays versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $313 in Grays vs $269 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Grays
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
07:25 7:25 AM
07:25 7:25 AM
Same time as Grays
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,601
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Grays Lisbon 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Grays
  • 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
Grays vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Grays?
Yes – Grays is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,553 per month in Grays and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
What are total monthly expenses in Grays and in Lisbon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,369 in Grays and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 7%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 121% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Grays or in Lisbon?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Grays at $2,369. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grays it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Grays or Lisbon more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Grays or Lisbon?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Grays makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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