Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlow and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,330 in Harlow, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Harlow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,330

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,330 in Harlow versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Harlow $2,330
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,407 in Harlow versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Harlow $3,407
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,483 in Harlow versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Harlow $4,483
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Harlow is roughly 6% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Harlow 72% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.01 £15.76

$17.04 €15.15

23.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.7 £68.8

$62.3 €55.4

47.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.86

$11.02 €9.80

-4.99%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$3.12 €2.78

75.32%

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

$2.63 £1.97

$2.27 €2.02

15.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.74 €1.55

6.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 £5.11

$3.42 €3.04

99.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 £5.15

$3.74 €3.33

83.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.17 €1.04

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.86 €1.66

-24.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 £0.84

$1.54 €1.37

-27.92%

Eggs

$2.38 £1.79

$4.06 €3.61

-41.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.83 £5.12

$12.91 €11.49

-47.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 £4.54

$7.90 €7.03

-23.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.45 £4.84

$17.64 €15.69

-63.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.26 €2.01

-9.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.75 €1.55

-29.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 £0.87

$1.89 €1.68

-39.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$2.56 €2.27

-21.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.85 €1.64

-11.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.97 €1.75

-31.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.45 €1.29

-7.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.77 €0.69

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.29 £15.97

$6.71 €5.97

217.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.33 £7.00

$5.67 €5.04

64.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.02

$1.37 €1.22

97.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.11 €1.88

-3.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$2.32 €2.07

17.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 £4.38

$3.95 €3.51

47.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.05 €0.93

60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.15 £15.87

$17.15 €15.26

23.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$2.19 €1.95

-12.33%

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

$39.0K £29.2K

$33.8K €30.0K

15.39%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$38.3K €34.0K

4.90%

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

$226 £169

$164 €146

37.91%

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

$11.95 £8.97

$18.48 €16.43

-35.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.54 £21.41

$32.96 €29.32

-13.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.10 £35.34

$45.87 €40.80

2.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 £6.05

$18.68 €16.61

-56.85%

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 £9.42

$9.75 €8.67

28.82%

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

$1,061 £796

$684 €608

55.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.8K

$17.6K €15.7K

11.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 £51.6

$104 €92.3

-33.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.19 £24.15

$46.20 €41.09

-30.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 £57.8

$99.7 €88.7

-22.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.33 £29.51

$125 €111

-68.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 £1,053

$1,589 €1,414

-11.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 £996

$1,169 €1,040

13.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 £1,708

$2,851 €2,536

-20.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,182 £1,637

$1,993 €1,773

9.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,013 £2,260

$1,600 €1,423

88.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

3.85

27.53%

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

Last update for Harlow: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harlow

$1.3K 57%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 11.9% $159

Eating Out

Harlow

$331 14.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 25.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harlow

$266 11.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 19.2% $51

Groceries & Markets

Harlow

$210 9%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 30.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Harlow

$98 4.2%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 72.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Harlow

$72 3.1%

Lisbon

$65 3% 9.5% $6.8

Getting Around

Harlow

$25 * 1.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 150% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,403 in Harlow and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harlow pays 88% 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: $92.0 in Harlow vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $273, with Harlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Harlow

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

Same time as Harlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,191

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Harlow Lisbon 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Harlow
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

Harlow vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harlow and Lisbon differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,330 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 88% higher in Harlow, 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: $1,403 in Harlow versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Harlow pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,330 per month in Harlow versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,330 in Harlow, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Harlow. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Harlow 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 6% less than in Harlow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.