Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bellinzona

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,572 in Bellinzona, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Bellinzona
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Bellinzona Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bellinzona

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,572

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bellinzona

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $3,572 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Bellinzona $3,572

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $5,491 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Bellinzona $5,491

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $7,411 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Bellinzona $7,411

Lisbon is about 38% cheaper than Bellinzona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Bellinzona sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Bellinzona by 162%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$34.79 CHF 28.69

-52.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$119 CHF 98.2

-48.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$18.24 CHF 15.04

-37.72%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-38.12%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-56.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$4.47 CHF 3.69

-61.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$9.61 CHF 7.93

-64.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.73 CHF 5.55

-50.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-46.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-53.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.11 CHF 3.39

-63.26%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$7.86 CHF 6.48

-48.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$26.65 CHF 21.98

-51.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$30.79 CHF 25.39

-74.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$41.82 CHF 34.50

-57.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.71 CHF 3.06

-38.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.03 CHF 1.68

-14.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.82 CHF 2.33

-34.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$6.48 CHF 5.34

-60.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-11.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.30 CHF 1.07

-44.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$10.98 CHF 9.06

-40.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$18.12 CHF 14.94

-69.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-52.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.97 CHF 3.27

-46.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.75 CHF 2.27

-15.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$122 CHF 101

-63.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$7.40 CHF 6.11

-47.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$5.48 CHF 4.52

-80.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$36.65 CHF 30.23

-55.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-2.65%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-13.03%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-1.34%

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

$161 €144

$308 CHF 254

-47.66%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$36.80 CHF 30.35

-49.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$62.6 CHF 51.6

-47.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$146 CHF 120

-69.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$54.1 CHF 44.62

-64.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$23.86 CHF 19.68

-59.77%

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

$668 €598

$3,258 CHF 2,687

-79.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$35.1K CHF 29.0K

-49.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$198 CHF 163

-48.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$48.72 CHF 40.18

-8.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$163 CHF 134

-39.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$172 CHF 142

-28.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,574 CHF 1,299

2.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,411 CHF 1,164

-15.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,491 CHF 2,055

12.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$2,504 CHF 2,065

-19.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$13.8K CHF 11.4K

-43.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$10.3K CHF 8,531

-55.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$6,707 CHF 5,532

-76.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.23

72.65%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bellinzona: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bellinzona

$1.4K 39.5% 18.5% $221

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bellinzona

$639 17.9% 135% $367

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bellinzona

$491 13.8% 103% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bellinzona

$407 11.4% 91.8% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bellinzona

$262 7.3% 57.7% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bellinzona

$194 5.4% 204% $130

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bellinzona

$168 4.7% 166% $105

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,574 in Bellinzona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bellinzona are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $119 in Bellinzona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $639 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Bellinzona

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

43,785

💱 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 Bellinzona 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Bellinzona

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Bellinzona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $3,572 in Bellinzona – Lisbon comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $5,357 in Bellinzona. 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 $1,574 in Bellinzona. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $3,572 in Bellinzona. That makes Lisbon about 38% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 63% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,210, than in Bellinzona at $3,572. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bellinzona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,210 in Lisbon to $3,572 in Bellinzona. 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, Bellinzona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.