Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,348 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ipswich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,348

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,348 in Ipswich versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Ipswich $2,348
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,450 in Ipswich versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Ipswich $3,450
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,551 in Ipswich versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Ipswich $4,551
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Ipswich is roughly 7% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ipswich 73% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.87 £15.66

$17.04 €15.15

22.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 £79.2

$62.3 €55.4

69.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.91

$11.02 €9.80

-4.36%

Cappuccino

$5.50 £4.12

$3.12 €2.78

76.28%

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

$1.68 £1.26

$2.27 €2.02

-25.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.38

$1.74 €1.55

5.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 £5.12

$3.42 €3.04

99.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 £5.22

$3.74 €3.33

85.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.17 €1.04

50.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.86 €1.66

-9.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.54 €1.37

7.14%

Eggs

$4.31 £3.24

$4.06 €3.61

6.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.43

$12.91 €11.49

-2.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 £6.61

$7.90 €7.03

11.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.47 £11.61

$17.64 €15.69

-12.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.26 €2.01

36.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.75 €1.55

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 £2.09

$1.89 €1.68

47.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.56 €2.27

26.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.85 €1.64

-8.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.97 €1.75

-27.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.45 €1.29

0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 £1.10

$0.77 €0.69

89.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.41 £17.56

$6.71 €5.97

248.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 £8.15

$5.67 €5.04

91.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 £2.01

$1.37 €1.22

95.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 £2.76

$2.11 €1.88

74.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 £2.11

$2.32 €2.07

21.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.7 £65.8

$44.43 €39.52

97.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.61 £4.21

$3.95 €3.51

42.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.05 €0.93

86.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.41 £25.06

$17.15 €15.26

94.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$2.19 €1.95

-10.50%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

$33.8K €30.0K

16.25%

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

$41.3K £31.0K

$38.3K €34.0K

7.93%

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

$375 £281

$164 €146

129.00%

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

$15.89 £11.92

$18.48 €16.43

-14.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.34 £30.26

$32.96 €29.32

22.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.29 £24.97

$45.87 €40.80

-27.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.97 £5.98

$18.68 €16.61

-57.33%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 £13.32

$9.75 €8.67

82.15%

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

$1,076 £807

$684 €608

57.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K £15.1K

$17.6K €15.7K

14.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.5 £51.4

$104 €92.3

-33.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 £41.39

$46.20 €41.09

19.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 £60.1

$99.7 €88.7

-19.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 £51.9

$125 €111

-44.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 £822

$1,589 €1,414

-31.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$972 £729

$1,169 €1,040

-16.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 £1,058

$2,851 €2,536

-50.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 £1,155

$1,993 €1,773

-22.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,009 £3,758

$7,793 €6,932

-35.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,015 £3,012

$4,418 €3,930

-9.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,990 £2,243

$1,600 €1,423

86.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

3.85

23.12%

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

Last update for Ipswich: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipswich

$972 41.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 20.2% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

$431 18.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 50.1% $216

Eating Out

Ipswich

$327 13.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 24.2% $79

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

$312 13.3%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 12.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

$123 5.2%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 37.1% $46

Getting Around

Ipswich

$114 4.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 45% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

$69 2.9%

Lisbon

$65 3% 5% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,096 in Ipswich and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ipswich pays 87% 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: $106 in Ipswich vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ipswich

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

Same time as Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

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 23, 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Ipswich Lisbon 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ipswich
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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

Ipswich vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ipswich and Lisbon differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,348 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 87% higher in Ipswich, 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: $1,096 in Ipswich versus $1,589 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 97% less than in Ipswich. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,076 in Ipswich versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,348 in Ipswich, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Ipswich. 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, Ipswich 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 7% less than in Ipswich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.