Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lancaster and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lancaster: $2,090 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in Lancaster
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Lancaster Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lancaster

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,090

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,090 in Lancaster versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Lancaster $2,090
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,201 in Lancaster versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Lancaster $3,201
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,312 in Lancaster versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Lancaster $4,312
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Lancaster costs roughly 5% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lancaster 54% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.13 £14.38

$16.65 €14.96

14.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 £85.1

$61.7 €55.5

83.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 £7.70

$11.36 €10.20

-9.77%

Cappuccino

$4.43 £3.33

$2.97 €2.67

49.16%

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

$3.51 £2.63

$2.29 €2.06

53.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.74 €1.56

-22.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.56 £4.93

$3.40 €3.06

92.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 £3.90

$3.31 €2.97

56.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.16 €1.04

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.91 €1.72

-8.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 £3.16

$1.51 €1.36

178.81%

Eggs

$3.52 £2.64

$4.02 €3.61

-12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 £4.76

$12.94 €11.62

-51.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 £3.85

$7.77 €6.99

-34.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.42 £9.33

$17.76 €15.96

-30.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 £3.07

$2.30 €2.07

77.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 £2.36

$1.73 €1.56

82.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 £3.39

$1.86 €1.67

142.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 £3.66

$2.59 €2.33

88.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 £1.70

$1.82 €1.64

24.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 £2.21

$1.97 €1.77

49.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.89

$1.47 €1.32

-19.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 £1.27

$0.72 €0.65

134.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.41 £16.09

$6.58 €5.92

225.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.51 £7.90

$5.61 €5.04

87.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 £1.73

$1.36 €1.22

69.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 £1.96

$2.14 €1.92

21.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 £2.56

$2.33 €2.10

45.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.6 £50.1

$44.68 €40.14

49.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.71 £5.04

$3.85 €3.46

74.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.07 €0.96

143.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.05 £18.83

$16.46 €14.79

52.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 £1.51

$2.20 €1.98

-8.64%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$34.2K €30.7K

11.84%

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

$40.4K £30.4K

$38.7K €34.8K

4.40%

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

$354 £266

$161 €145

119.72%

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

$16.69 £12.54

$18.41 €16.54

-9.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.72 £35.86

$32.74 €29.41

45.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 £43.73

$44.55 €40.03

30.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.79 £5.10

$19.10 €17.16

-64.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 £6.66

$9.60 €8.62

-7.71%

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

$1,243 £935

$668 €600

86.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.0K £45.9K

$17.6K €15.8K

246.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 £57.7

$102 €91.7

-24.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 £24.92

$44.46 €39.95

-25.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 £61.4

$98.5 €88.5

-17.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.81 £20.15

$124 €111

-78.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 £812

$1,608 €1,445

-32.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 £598

$1,190 €1,069

-33.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 £1,003

$2,812 €2,527

-52.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 £1,072

$2,013 €1,809

-29.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,157 £3,876

$7,839 €7,043

-34.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,355 £7,031

$4,576 €4,111

104.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,123 £2,347

$1,575 €1,415

98.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

3.85

44.16%

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

Last update for Lancaster: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lancaster

$796 38.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 49.5% $394

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lancaster

$419 20%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 49.3% $206

Groceries & Markets

Lancaster

$302 14.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 9.8% $30

Eating Out

Lancaster

$299 14.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 19% $57

Getting Around

Lancaster

$100 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 36.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Lancaster

$98 4.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 68.7% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Lancaster

$76 3.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 16% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,080 in Lancaster and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lancaster pays 98% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $113 in Lancaster vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lancaster

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

Same time as Lancaster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.837 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lancaster Lisbon 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lancaster
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

Lancaster vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lancaster is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Lancaster, 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: $1,080 in Lancaster versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $113 in Lancaster. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Lancaster gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Lancaster 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.