Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bedford

For one person, living is cheaper in Bedford: $2,117 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Bedford
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Bedford Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Bedford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bedford

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

A single person spends $2,206 per month in Lisbon vs $2,117 in Bedford, rent included.

Lisbon $2,206
Bedford $2,117

A couple spends around $3,276 per month in Lisbon vs $3,333 in Bedford, rent included.

Lisbon $3,276
Bedford $3,333

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $4,549 in Bedford, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Bedford $4,549

Lisbon costs about 4% more than Bedford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lisbon and Bedford sit above the global median – Lisbon by 63%, Bedford by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$19.85 £14.72

-15.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$88.8 £65.9

-31.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$10.89 £8.08

0.83%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$4.54 £3.36

-32.82%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.00 £1.48

14.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.18 £0.87

42.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$6.72 £4.98

-48.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$5.98 £4.43

-34.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.73 £1.28

-33.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.49 £1.10

26.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.64 £1.22

-8.54%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$3.81 £2.83

8.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$9.42 £6.99

38.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$8.63 £6.40

-6.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$12.96 £9.61

38.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.35 £2.49

-32.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.34 £0.99

29.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.54 £1.88

-28.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.12 £2.31

-13.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.34 £0.99

32.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.36 £1.01

42.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.04 £0.77

40.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.35 £1.00

-43.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$23.59 £17.50

-71.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$10.80 £8.01

-47.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.66 £1.97

-51.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.46 £1.83

-13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.61 £1.93

-11.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$5.05 £3.74

-21.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.64 £1.21

-60.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$20.36 £15.10

-7.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$1.97 £1.46

15.74%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$39.2K £29.0K

-14.79%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$40.4K £30.0K

-4.67%

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

$158 €141

$316 £234

-49.94%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$17.74 £13.15

-1.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$39.87 £29.57

-21.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$38.18 £28.31

16.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$16.11 £11.95

-40.53%

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

$674 €598

$1,366 £1,013

-50.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$23.7K £17.6K

-20.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$23.98 £17.79

326.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$25.73 £19.08

78.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$79.6 £59.1

28.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$88.8 £65.9

37.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$1,126 £835

45.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$965 £716

23.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$2,461 £1,825

14.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$2,037 £1,511

-0.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$3,303 £2,450

-48.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.67

-18.20%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bedford: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bedford

$965 45.6% 18.7% $222

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Bedford

$282 13.3% 2.6% $7.1

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Bedford

$304 14.4% 24% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Bedford

$374 17.7% 80.6% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Bedford

$98 4.6% 41.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bedford

$70 3.3% 10.3% $6.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Bedford

$24 * 1.1% 60.9% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,126 in Bedford. 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 96% higher in Bedford, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Lisbon versus $89 in Bedford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $282 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Bedford

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

80,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Bedford 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bedford

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 Bedford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 4% more than Bedford, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,309 per month in Lisbon and $3,175 in Bedford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bedford, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,126 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,117 in Bedford. That makes Bedford about 4% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $674 per month in Lisbon and $1,366 in Bedford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,117 in Bedford. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,117 in Bedford to $2,206 in Lisbon. 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.