Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Airolo

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,388 in Airolo, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Airolo
Learn more

Airolo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Airolo

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Airolo

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 Airolo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $3,388 in Airolo, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Airolo $3,388

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $5,161 in Airolo, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Airolo $5,161

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $6,934 in Airolo, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Airolo $6,934

Lisbon is about 34% cheaper than Airolo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Airolo sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Airolo by 151%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$30.08 CHF 24.77

-45.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$122 CHF 100

-49.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$18.00 CHF 14.83

-37.39%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$6.19 CHF 5.10

-50.57%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-57.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$4.93 CHF 4.06

-64.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$8.87 CHF 7.30

-61.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$7.40 CHF 6.10

-54.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.13 CHF 1.75

-47.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.74 CHF 3.08

-50.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.66 CHF 3.02

-58.20%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$7.68 CHF 6.32

-48.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$26.26 CHF 21.63

-51.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$28.37 CHF 23.36

-72.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$40.16 CHF 33.08

-57.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.47 CHF 2.86

-34.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.97 CHF 1.62

-11.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.71 CHF 2.23

-31.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.75 CHF 3.92

-45.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.76 CHF 1.45

5.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-6.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.27 CHF 1.87

-36.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.30 CHF 1.07

-36.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$10.95 CHF 9.02

-40.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$12.99 CHF 10.70

-56.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.77 CHF 2.28

-53.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.23 CHF 2.66

-35.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$4.61 CHF 3.80

-49.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$100 CHF 82.4

-55.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$7.74 CHF 6.37

-48.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-76.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$73.8 CHF 60.8

-77.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.26 CHF 1.86

0.88%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$41.6K CHF 34.2K

-18.98%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$39.2K CHF 32.3K

0.32%

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

$167 €149

$282 CHF 232

-40.50%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$33.23 CHF 27.37

-43.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$55.5 CHF 45.69

-40.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$88.6 CHF 73.0

-48.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$45.27 CHF 37.29

-57.61%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$22.94 CHF 18.90

-57.11%

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

$677 €602

$2,616 CHF 2,155

-74.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$33.5K CHF 27.6K

-49.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$138 CHF 114

-26.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$59.4 CHF 48.96

-23.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$148 CHF 122

-32.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$186 CHF 153

-33.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,687 CHF 1,389

-4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,437 CHF 1,184

-16.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,878 CHF 2,370

-0.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,427 CHF 1,999

-18.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$16.0K CHF 13.2K

-52.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

-64.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.07

85.99%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Airolo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Airolo

$1.4K 42.4% 20.1% $240

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Airolo

$589 17.4% 119% $320

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Airolo

$469 13.8% 93.6% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Airolo

$370 10.9% 68.8% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Airolo

$239 7.1% 43.6% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Airolo

$135 4% 105% $69

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Airolo

$149 4.4% 137% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,687 in Airolo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $122 in Airolo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $589 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Airolo

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,500

💱 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

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Between locations

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

From you

Lisbon
Airolo

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 Airolo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Airolo costs about 52% 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 $5,083 in Airolo. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,223 in Lisbon and $3,388 in Airolo. That's a gap of about 52%.

Public transport costs about 126% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Airolo at $3,388. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Airolo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,223 versus $3,388 in Airolo. 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, Airolo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.