Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Letterkenny and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Letterkenny: $2,007 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Letterkenny, Ireland
Lisbon, Portugal
Letterkenny
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,007
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,007 in Letterkenny versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Letterkenny $2,007
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,068 in Letterkenny versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Letterkenny $3,068
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,129 in Letterkenny versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Letterkenny $4,129
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Letterkenny costs roughly 9% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Letterkenny 47% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Letterkenny
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.32 €17.31
$16.65 €14.91
16.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.8 €61.6
$61.7 €55.3
11.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.34 €11.95
$11.36 €10.17
17.43%
Cappuccino
$4.64 €4.16
$2.97 €2.66
56.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 €2.38
$2.29 €2.05
16.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.74 €1.56
32.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.33 €5.67
$3.40 €3.05
86.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.67 €5.98
$3.31 €2.96
101.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Letterkenny
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 €1.44
$1.16 €1.04
37.93%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 €1.66
$1.91 €1.71
-3.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 €1.27
$1.51 €1.35
-5.96%
Eggs
$5.45 €4.88
$4.02 €3.60
35.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.33 €7.46
$12.94 €11.59
-35.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.55 €11.24
$7.77 €6.96
61.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.07 €11.70
$17.76 €15.91
-26.41%
Apples (1kg)
$4.21 €3.77
$2.30 €2.06
83.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.66 €2.38
$1.73 €1.55
53.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.01 €3.59
$1.86 €1.66
115.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.10 €3.67
$2.59 €2.32
58.30%
Potato (1kg)
$3.33 €2.98
$1.82 €1.63
82.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 €1.02
$1.97 €1.76
-42.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 €1.16
$1.47 €1.32
-12.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.03
$0.72 €0.65
215.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.32 €18.20
$6.58 €5.90
208.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.29 €11.90
$5.61 €5.02
136.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.04 €2.73
$1.36 €1.22
123.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.94 €3.53
$2.14 €1.91
84.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Letterkenny
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.96 €4.44
$2.33 €2.09
112.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.6 €64.1
$44.68 €40.01
60.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.56 €4.98
$3.85 €3.45
44.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.02 €3.60
$1.07 €0.96
275.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.62 €22.05
$16.46 €14.74
49.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.94 €1.73
$2.20 €1.97
-11.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K €34.2K
$34.2K €30.6K
11.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K €29.7K
$38.7K €34.7K
-14.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Letterkenny
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$162 €145
$161 €144
0.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.89 €18.71
$18.41 €16.49
13.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.38 €40.64
$32.74 €29.32
38.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Letterkenny
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.6 €48.00
$44.55 €39.90
20.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.76 €20.39
$19.10 €17.10
19.16%
Cinema Ticket
$9.97 €8.93
$9.60 €8.60
3.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Letterkenny
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$247 €221
$668 €598
-63.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.1K €9,034
$17.6K €15.8K
-42.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Letterkenny
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.4 €78.3
$102 €91.4
-14.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.96 €33.10
$44.46 €39.82
-16.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.2 €82.6
$98.5 €88.2
-6.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.5 €85.5
$124 €111
-22.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Letterkenny
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 €945
$1,608 €1,440
-34.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$775 €694
$1,190 €1,066
-34.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,588 €1,423
$2,812 €2,519
-43.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,356 €1,215
$2,013 €1,803
-32.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,237 €2,003
$7,839 €7,021
-71.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 €1,503
$4,576 €4,098
-63.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Letterkenny
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,886 €1,689
$1,575 €1,411
19.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.6
3.85
-6.49%

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

Last update for Letterkenny: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Letterkenny
$775
Lisbon
$1.2K 53.5% $415
Groceries & Markets
Letterkenny
$357
Lisbon
$272 23.7% $85
Eating Out
Letterkenny
$315
Lisbon
$243 23% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Letterkenny
$229
Lisbon
$212 7.1% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Letterkenny
$140
Lisbon
$166 18.1% $25
Getting Around
Letterkenny
$117
Lisbon
$63 46% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Letterkenny
$74
Lisbon
$64 13.3% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Letterkenny and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Letterkenny pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69 in Letterkenny vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇪 Letterkenny
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
11:43 11:43 AM
11:43 11:43 AM
Same time as Letterkenny
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
22,549
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Letterkenny Lisbon 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Letterkenny
  • 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
Letterkenny vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Letterkenny or Lisbon?
Letterkenny wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Letterkenny the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Letterkenny or in Lisbon?
Average pay runs 20% higher in Letterkenny, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Letterkenny compared to Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Letterkenny versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Letterkenny and in Lisbon?
Childcare runs $247 in Letterkenny versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Letterkenny or in Lisbon?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Letterkenny or in Lisbon?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Letterkenny is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Letterkenny or Lisbon?
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.
How safe is Letterkenny compared to Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Letterkenny and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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