Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guelph and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,574 in Guelph, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Guelph
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Guelph Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Guelph

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,574

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,574 in Guelph versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Guelph $2,574
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,642 in Guelph versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Guelph $3,642
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,711 in Guelph versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Guelph $4,711
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Guelph is roughly 16% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Guelph 91% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.94 CA$29.61

$16.50 €14.67

26.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 CA$100

$61.3 €54.5

15.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 CA$16.04

$11.27 €10.03

0.71%

Cappuccino

$3.27 CA$4.62

$3.06 €2.72

6.86%

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

$1.43 CA$2.02

$2.26 €2.01

-36.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 CA$1.87

$1.73 €1.54

-23.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 CA$6.75

$3.39 €3.02

41.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 CA$8.04

$3.40 €3.02

67.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 CA$3.10

$1.12 €1.00

95.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.87

$1.86 €1.65

47.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.02

$1.53 €1.36

132.03%

Eggs

$3.02 CA$4.26

$3.96 €3.53

-23.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 CA$14.18

$12.76 €11.35

-21.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.98 CA$22.59

$7.90 €7.02

102.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.72 CA$30.71

$16.97 €15.09

27.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.93

$2.27 €2.02

53.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.75 €1.55

-26.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.05

$1.85 €1.64

131.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 CA$6.54

$2.57 €2.28

80.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$1.86 €1.65

83.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.15

$2.02 €1.80

10.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 CA$4.02

$1.44 €1.28

97.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.82 €0.73

80.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 CA$15.23

$6.56 €5.83

64.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.74 CA$15.18

$5.62 €5.00

91.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.46 CA$4.89

$1.28 €1.14

170.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CA$4.39

$2.07 €1.84

50.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$2.35 €2.09

-8.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.8 CA$91.7

$44.18 €39.30

46.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 CA$3.29

$3.99 €3.55

-41.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 CA$2.64

$1.09 €0.97

71.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.09 CA$34.06

$16.64 €14.81

44.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$2.28 €2.03

-48.68%

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

$27.7K CA$39.2K

$33.7K €30.0K

-17.71%

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

$20.4K CA$28.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-48.06%

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

$123 CA$174

$167 €149

-26.35%

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

$42.11 CA$59.5

$18.80 €16.72

123.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.7 CA$77.3

$33.09 €29.43

65.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 CA$77.9

$46.01 €40.93

19.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.24 CA$20.14

$19.19 €17.07

-25.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.69 CA$15.11

$9.84 €8.75

8.64%

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

$796 CA$1,126

$677 €602

17.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K CA$23.4K

$16.9K €15.1K

-2.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 CA$88.3

$101 €90.1

-38.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.00 CA$50.9

$45.76 €40.70

-21.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 CA$122

$100.0 €88.9

-13.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 CA$176

$123 €109

1.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 CA$2,038

$1,614 €1,436

-10.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 CA$1,925

$1,197 €1,065

13.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,044 CA$2,890

$2,862 €2,545

-28.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$1,990 €1,770

-3.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 CA$6,760

$7,577 €6,740

-36.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,727 CA$6,682

$4,307 €3,831

9.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,174 CA$4,487

$1,588 €1,412

99.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

3.85

29.61%

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

Last update for Guelph: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guelph

$1.4K 52.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 12.1% $164

Groceries & Markets

Guelph

$405 15.7%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 33.5% $136

Eating Out

Guelph

$287 11.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 15.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guelph

$220 8.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 0.4% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Guelph

$139 5.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 19.7% $27

Getting Around

Guelph

$85 3.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 25.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Guelph

$77 3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 14.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,442 in Guelph and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guelph pays 100% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71.0 in Guelph vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Guelph

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

5 h ahead of Guelph

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,794

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

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

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Guelph Lisbon 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Guelph
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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

Guelph vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 100% higher in Guelph, 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: $1,442 in Guelph versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Guelph. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $71.0 in Guelph. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,574 in Guelph, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Guelph. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Guelph, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Guelph 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 16% less than in Guelph. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.