Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Macquarie and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Lake Macquarie and in Lisbon: $2,232 and $2,206 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lake Macquarie
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Lake Macquarie Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lake Macquarie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,232

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,232 per month in Lake Macquarie vs $2,206 in Lisbon, rent included.

Lake Macquarie $2,232
Lisbon $2,206

A couple spends around $3,565 per month in Lake Macquarie vs $3,276 in Lisbon, rent included.

Lake Macquarie $3,565
Lisbon $3,276

A family of three spends $4,898 per month in Lake Macquarie vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Lake Macquarie $4,898
Lisbon $4,346

Lake Macquarie and Lisbon have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Lake Macquarie and Lisbon sit above the global median – Lake Macquarie by 65%, Lisbon by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 A$24.56

$16.86 €15.08

1.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$61.0 €54.6

40.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 A$15.09

$10.98 €9.82

-4.01%

Cappuccino

$3.43 A$4.91

$3.05 €2.73

12.46%

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

$3.10 A$4.44

$2.28 €2.04

35.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 A$3.09

$1.68 €1.50

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 A$10.14

$3.44 €3.07

105.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 A$10.15

$3.91 €3.49

81.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.69

$1.15 €1.03

2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 A$2.08

$1.89 €1.69

-22.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 A$2.37

$1.50 €1.34

10.00%

Eggs

$3.31 A$4.74

$4.12 €3.68

-19.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 A$11.63

$13.01 €11.63

-37.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 A$11.00

$8.04 €7.19

-4.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.72 A$18.20

$17.89 €16.00

-28.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 A$4.15

$2.27 €2.03

27.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.70

$1.74 €1.56

48.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.49

$1.82 €1.63

34.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 A$5.38

$2.69 €2.40

39.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.28

$1.77 €1.58

29.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.93

$1.94 €1.73

5.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 A$2.44

$1.46 €1.31

16.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.22

$0.76 €0.68

103.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.24 A$41.85

$6.66 €5.95

339.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.27 A$11.84

$5.64 €5.04

46.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 A$4.00

$1.29 €1.15

117.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 A$3.45

$2.14 €1.91

12.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 A$3.84

$2.30 €2.06

16.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.5 A$122

$44.02 €39.36

94.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 A$2.90

$3.98 €3.56

-49.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 A$4.59

$0.64 €0.57

401.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.8 A$82.7

$18.93 €16.92

205.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.89

$2.28 €2.03

-42.11%

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

$27.9K A$39.9K

$33.4K €29.8K

-16.54%

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

$24.2K A$34.6K

$38.5K €34.4K

-37.17%

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

$241 A$345

$158 €141

52.37%

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

$11.27 A$16.13

$17.54 €15.68

-35.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.80 A$61.3

$31.18 €27.89

37.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 A$79.1

$44.64 €39.92

23.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 A$24.95

$18.98 €16.97

-8.17%

Cinema Ticket

$9.53 A$13.64

$9.58 €8.56

-0.52%

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

$1,528 A$2,188

$674 €602

126.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K A$26.8K

$18.7K €16.7K

0.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 A$98.4

$102 €91.4

-32.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.60 A$52.4

$45.90 €41.04

-20.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 A$139

$102 €91.4

-4.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$159

$122 €109

-8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 A$1,999

$1,641 €1,467

-14.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 A$1,501

$1,187 €1,062

-11.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 A$3,194

$2,825 €2,526

-21.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 A$3,221

$2,018 €1,805

11.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,806 A$8,312

$7,836 €7,007

-25.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,928 A$7,055

$4,701 €4,204

4.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,974 A$7,120

$1,687 €1,508

194.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.35

3.82

13.87%

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

Last update for Lake Macquarie: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lake Macquarie

$1K 47%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 13.2% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lake Macquarie

$295 13.2%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 29.9% $88

Eating Out

Lake Macquarie

$281 12.6%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 12.6% $35

Groceries & Markets

Lake Macquarie

$277 12.4%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 1.1% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Lake Macquarie

$141 6.3%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 18.6% $26

Getting Around

Lake Macquarie

$114 5.1%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 47.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Lake Macquarie

$74 3.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 14.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,396 in Lake Macquarie versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lake Macquarie are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Lake Macquarie versus $61 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $275 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Lake Macquarie

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:21 12:21 AM

13:21 1:21 PM

11 h behind Lake Macquarie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,059

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lake Macquarie Lisbon 18,170 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Lake Macquarie
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

Lake Macquarie vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,347 per month in Lake Macquarie and $3,309 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lake Macquarie, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,396 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Lake Macquarie and $61 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,528 per month in Lake Macquarie and $674 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,232 in Lake Macquarie and $2,206 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,206 in Lisbon to $2,232 in Lake Macquarie. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lake Macquarie makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.