Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Arklow

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,554 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Arklow

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,554 in Arklow, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Arklow $2,554

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,690 in Arklow, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Arklow $3,690

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $4,827 in Arklow, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Arklow $4,827

Lisbon is about 13% cheaper than Arklow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Arklow sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Arklow by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$22.19 €19.88

-24.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$88.4 €79.3

-30.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.33 €10.15

0.26%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.20 €3.76

-29.29%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.95 €2.64

-22.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.22 €1.99

-21.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.38 €4.82

-36.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.37 €4.81

-38.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.71 €1.54

-32.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.27 €2.04

-15.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.86 €1.67

-18.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.48 €4.02

-10.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$14.23 €12.75

-9.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$12.88 €11.54

-39.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$16.78 €15.03

5.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.32 €2.97

-30.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$3.00 €2.69

-42.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.35 €3.01

-44.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.72 €4.23

-45.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.36 €2.11

-22.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.82 €1.63

8.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.40 €1.26

5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.10 €1.88

-65.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$19.86 €17.79

-66.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$13.35 €11.96

-57.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$4.06 €3.64

-66.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.58 €3.21

-40.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.27 €2.04

2.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.18 €4.64

-25.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.54 €1.38

-30.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$32.70 €29.30

-49.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.14 €1.92

2.80%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$38.3K €34.3K

-10.80%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$37.5K €33.6K

3.21%

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

$161 €144

$244 €219

-34.00%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$21.79 €19.53

-15.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$55.4 €49.62

-40.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$59.4 €53.2

-24.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$13.29 €11.91

-27.77%

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

$668 €598

$1,077 €965

-38.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,279 €4,731

233.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$95.8 €85.8

6.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$43.42 €38.90

2.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$106 €95.2

-7.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$121 €108

2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,484 €1,330

8.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,250 €1,120

-4.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,796 €2,505

0.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,909 €1,711

5.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$3,844 €3,445

19.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$4,869 €4,363

-67.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.14

-7.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Arklow: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Arklow

$1.2K 48.9% 5% $59

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Arklow

$390 15.3% 43.2% $118

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Arklow

$320 12.5% 32% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Arklow

$321 12.6% 51.4% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Arklow

$165 6.5% 0.6% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Arklow

$86 3.4% 34.9% $22

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Arklow

$22 * 0.9% 65.3% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,484 in Arklow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arklow are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $88 in Arklow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $390 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇪 Arklow

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

13,399

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Arklow 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Arklow

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 Arklow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $2,554 in Arklow – Lisbon comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $3,831 in Arklow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,484 in Arklow. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $88 in Arklow. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Arklow, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,554 in Arklow, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,210 in Lisbon to $2,554 in Arklow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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