Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Aarau

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,794 in Aarau, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. The total is higher in Aarau despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
Learn more

Aarau Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Aarau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Aarau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $2,794 in Aarau, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Aarau $2,794

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $4,568 in Aarau, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Aarau $4,568

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $6,342 in Aarau, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Aarau $6,342

Lisbon is about 20% cheaper than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Aarau sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Aarau by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$29.07 CHF 23.94

-43.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$106 CHF 87.6

-42.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$17.63 CHF 14.52

-36.07%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.80 CHF 4.78

-47.24%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$5.22 CHF 4.30

-56.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-63.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$6.15 CHF 5.06

-44.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.60 CHF 5.44

-48.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-45.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.62 CHF 2.98

-48.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.59 CHF 2.13

-40.93%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$7.22 CHF 5.95

-45.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$30.30 CHF 24.96

-57.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$29.34 CHF 24.16

-73.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$40.30 CHF 33.19

-57.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.89 CHF 2.38

-21.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-1.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-24.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$5.50 CHF 4.53

-53.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.66 CHF 1.37

12.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.96 CHF 1.61

3.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.28 CHF 1.87

-36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.19 CHF 0.98

-31.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$10.86 CHF 8.94

-39.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.21 CHF 8.41

-44.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-48.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-27.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$5.11 CHF 4.20

-54.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$146 CHF 120

-69.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$6.84 CHF 5.64

-41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.32 CHF 2.74

-67.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$58.8 CHF 48.45

-71.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.22 CHF 1.83

2.70%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

-21.55%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

0.03%

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

$167 €149

$120 CHF 98.9

39.46%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$30.84 CHF 25.40

-39.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$55.7 CHF 45.84

-40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$97.9 CHF 80.6

-53.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$59.6 CHF 49.04

-67.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$21.42 CHF 17.64

-54.06%

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

$677 €602

$3,152 CHF 2,596

-78.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

-47.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$88.7 CHF 73.0

14.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$70.6 CHF 58.2

-35.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$109 CHF 90.1

-8.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$169 CHF 140

-27.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,277 CHF 1,052

26.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,033 CHF 851

15.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,290 CHF 1,886

24.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,114 CHF 1,742

-5.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$11.8K CHF 9,759

-63.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$6,801 CHF 5,601

-76.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.31

66.67%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Aarau

$1K 37% 13.7% $164

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Aarau

$588 21% 118% $318

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Aarau

$439 15.7% 81.1% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Aarau

$207 7.4% 5.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Aarau

$197 7.1% 18.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Aarau

$141 5% 114% $75

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Aarau

$190 6.8% 202% $127

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,277 in Aarau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 328% higher in Aarau, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $106 in Aarau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $588 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

21,191

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Aarau 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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

Lisbon vs Aarau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aarau costs about 26% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $4,191 in Aarau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 231% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $677 per month in Lisbon and $3,152 in Aarau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Aarau at $2,794. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aarau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,223 versus $2,794 in Aarau. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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