Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Belfast

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,346 in Belfast, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Belfast despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Belfast
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Belfast Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Belfast

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Belfast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,346 in Belfast.

Lisbon $2,210
Belfast $2,346

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,435 in Belfast.

Lisbon $3,275
Belfast $3,435

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,524 in Belfast.

Lisbon $4,341
Belfast $4,524

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 6% less than in Belfast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Belfast 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$25.29 £18.88

-34.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$91.5 £68.4

-32.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$10.80 £8.06

5.19%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.92 £3.67

-39.63%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.04 £2.27

-24.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.06 £1.54

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$8.06 £6.02

-57.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$8.05 £6.01

-58.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.82 £1.36

-36.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.31 £1.72

-17.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.71 £2.02

-44.28%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.62 £3.45

-12.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.69 £7.98

21.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$11.04 £8.24

-29.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$15.80 £11.79

12.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.14 £2.35

-26.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.00 £1.49

-13.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.36 £2.51

-44.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.02 £3.00

-35.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.28 £1.70

-20.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.59 £1.18

23.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.35 £1.01

8.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.88 £1.40

-61.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$23.61 £17.63

-72.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$12.41 £9.26

-54.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.73 £2.04

-50.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.10 £2.31

-30.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.16 £2.36

-26.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$99.0 £73.9

-54.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.53 £3.39

-15.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.51 £1.13

-29.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$19.68 £14.70

-16.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.10 £1.57

4.76%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$38.2K £28.5K

-10.50%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$40.8K £30.4K

-4.98%

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

$161 €144

$272 £203

-40.80%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$24.30 £18.14

-24.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$46.23 £34.52

-29.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$43.92 £32.80

1.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$10.54 £7.87

81.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$14.14 £10.56

-32.11%

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

$668 €598

$1,566 £1,169

-57.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.8K £13.3K

-1.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$81.9 £61.2

24.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$46.61 £34.80

-4.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$108 £80.7

-8.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$104 £77.4

19.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,229 £917

30.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$935 £698

27.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,880 £1,404

49.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,393 £1,040

44.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$4,107 £3,066

90.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$2,541 £1,897

80.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,295 £2,461

-52.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.91

-21.59%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Belfast: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Belfast

$935 39.8% 21.4% $255

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Belfast

$349 14.9% 28.2% $77

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Belfast

$371 15.8% 52.7% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Belfast

$343 14.6% 61.5% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Belfast

$153 6.5% 7.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Belfast

$72 3.1% 13.3% $8.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Belfast

$124 5.3% 95.7% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,229 in Belfast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belfast pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $92 in Belfast for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $349 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Belfast

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

348,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Belfast 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Belfast

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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 Belfast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% 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 $1,229 in Belfast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,566 in Belfast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Belfast. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Belfast on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.