Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 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
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Basel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,669 in Basel.

Lisbon $2,210
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $5,649 in Basel.

Lisbon $3,275
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $7,629 in Basel.

Lisbon $4,341
Basel $7,629

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 40% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$30.27 CHF 24.97

-45.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$125 CHF 103

-50.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$17.91 CHF 14.77

-36.57%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$6.52 CHF 5.38

-54.45%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$6.47 CHF 5.34

-64.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$5.91 CHF 4.87

-70.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$9.41 CHF 7.76

-63.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$9.48 CHF 7.82

-65.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-49.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.04 CHF 2.51

-37.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.27 CHF 2.70

-53.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$7.97 CHF 6.57

-49.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$26.34 CHF 21.73

-50.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$27.32 CHF 22.53

-71.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$41.15 CHF 33.94

-56.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.70 CHF 3.05

-37.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-24.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-38.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.54 CHF 3.75

-42.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.68 CHF 1.38

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.91 CHF 1.58

3.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.27 CHF 1.87

-35.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$11.15 CHF 9.20

-40.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$11.90 CHF 9.82

-52.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-29.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$5.21 CHF 4.30

-55.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$105 CHF 86.4

-57.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$7.98 CHF 6.58

-51.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$4.61 CHF 3.81

-76.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$83.3 CHF 68.7

-80.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.42 CHF 1.99

-9.09%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

-10.79%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

-3.15%

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

$161 €144

$296 CHF 244

-45.44%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$46.31 CHF 38.20

-60.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$63.2 CHF 52.1

-48.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$82.0 CHF 67.7

-45.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$58.3 CHF 48.06

-67.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$22.84 CHF 18.84

-57.97%

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

$668 €598

$3,139 CHF 2,589

-78.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

-46.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$144 CHF 119

-29.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$79.9 CHF 65.9

-44.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$159 CHF 132

-38.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$195 CHF 161

-36.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$2,087 CHF 1,722

-22.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,646 CHF 1,358

-27.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$3,618 CHF 2,984

-22.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$2,966 CHF 2,447

-32.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

-55.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

-66.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$7,080 CHF 5,840

-77.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.42

59.09%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 38.3% $456

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Basel

$584 15.9% 114% $311

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Basel

$490 13.3% 102% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Basel

$405 11% 90.7% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Basel

$261 7.1% 57% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Basel

$128 3.5% 100% $64

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Basel

$157 4.3% 148% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $584 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

21:21 9:21 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

174,491

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Basel 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 114% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,669 in Basel, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value at $2,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Basel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.