Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Alton

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,607 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Alton, United Kingdom
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Alton
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,607
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Alton

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,607 in Alton, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Alton $2,607

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,875 in Alton, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Alton $3,875

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $5,143 in Alton, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Alton $5,143

Lisbon is about 15% cheaper than Alton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Alton sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Alton by 92%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Alton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$27.13 £20.42
-38.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$105 £78.7
-40.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$10.75 £8.09
5.67%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$5.69 £4.28
-47.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$3.03 £2.28
-24.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$2.20 £1.66
-20.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$9.07 £6.83
-62.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$7.96 £5.99
-58.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Alton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.81 £1.37
-35.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$2.02 £1.52
-5.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$2.51 £1.89
-39.84%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$3.39 £2.55
18.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$12.77 £9.61
1.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$10.86 £8.18
-28.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$17.24 £12.98
3.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$3.14 £2.36
-26.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$1.42 £1.07
21.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$2.99 £2.25
-37.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$3.40 £2.56
-23.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$1.68 £1.26
8.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$1.81 £1.36
8.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.47 £1.11
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$1.85 £1.39
-61.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$23.77 £17.89
-72.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$10.50 £7.90
-46.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$2.35 £1.77
-42.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$2.74 £2.06
-21.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Alton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$3.49 £2.62
-33.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$98.0 £73.8
-54.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$5.46 £4.11
-29.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$3.39 £2.55
-68.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$25.69 £19.33
-35.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$2.10 £1.58
4.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$38.2K £28.8K
-10.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$40.2K £30.2K
-3.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Alton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$369 £278
-56.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$18.30 £13.77
0.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$40.58 £30.54
-19.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Alton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$46.16 £34.74
-3.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$17.88 £13.45
-46.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Alton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$2,877 £2,165
-76.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$35.7K £26.9K
-50.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Alton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$117 £87.9
-12.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$54.5 £41.04
-18.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$128 £96.6
-23.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$165 £124
-25.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Alton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$1,246 £938
29.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$1,019 £767
16.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$2,098 £1,579
34.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$1,683 £1,267
19.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$5,091 £3,832
53.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$3,807 £2,865
20.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Alton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.74
-18.78%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Alton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Alton
$1K 14.3% $171
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Alton
$334 22.8% $62
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Alton
$400 64.8% $157
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Alton
$428 102% $216
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Alton
$209 26% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Alton
$82 28.5% $18
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Alton
$134 113% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,246 in Alton. 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $105 in Alton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $334 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇬🇧 Alton
🕒 Local time
20:23 8:23 PM
20:23 8:23 PM
Same time as Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
17,816
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Alton 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Alton

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 Alton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Lisbon and in Alton compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $2,607 in Alton – Lisbon comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Alton?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $3,911 in Alton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Lisbon and Alton?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Alton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,246 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
How do commuting costs compare in Lisbon and in Alton?
Public transport costs about 54% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Alton?
Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $2,877 in Alton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $3,000 go in Lisbon compared to Alton?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,607 in Alton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Alton?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,210 in Lisbon to $2,607 in Alton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Lisbon or Alton safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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