Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bern

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,524 in Bern, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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 Bern
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Bern Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bern

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,524 in Bern.

Lisbon $2,210
Bern $3,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $5,348 in Bern.

Lisbon $3,275
Bern $5,348

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $7,171 in Bern.

Lisbon $4,341
Bern $7,171

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 37% less than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Bern 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$28.73 CHF 23.70

-42.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$123 CHF 101

-49.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$15.88 CHF 13.10

-28.46%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$6.89 CHF 5.69

-56.89%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$6.13 CHF 5.06

-62.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$6.96 CHF 5.74

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$9.11 CHF 7.51

-62.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$8.06 CHF 6.65

-58.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.21 CHF 1.83

-47.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.92 CHF 2.41

-34.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.17 CHF 2.61

-52.37%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$7.70 CHF 6.35

-47.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$24.56 CHF 20.26

-47.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$29.33 CHF 24.20

-73.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$38.43 CHF 31.70

-53.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.80 CHF 3.13

-39.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-13.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.60 CHF 2.14

-28.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-43.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.65 CHF 1.37

10.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-3.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.21 CHF 1.83

-33.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.28 CHF 1.06

-43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$11.13 CHF 9.18

-40.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$11.91 CHF 9.83

-52.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-40.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.02 CHF 2.49

-29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$6.35 CHF 5.24

-63.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$97.9 CHF 80.7

-54.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$7.99 CHF 6.59

-51.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$4.66 CHF 3.84

-77.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$110 CHF 90.8

-85.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.36 CHF 1.95

-6.78%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$38.5K CHF 31.8K

-11.24%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$39.6K CHF 32.7K

-2.22%

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

$161 €144

$272 CHF 224

-40.68%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$28.10 CHF 23.18

-34.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$54.0 CHF 44.57

-39.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$85.2 CHF 70.3

-47.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$47.65 CHF 39.31

-59.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$25.53 CHF 21.06

-62.40%

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

$668 €598

$3,123 CHF 2,576

-78.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$30.5K CHF 25.2K

-42.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$144 CHF 119

-29.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$61.4 CHF 50.6

-27.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$155 CHF 128

-36.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$198 CHF 163

-37.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$2,102 CHF 1,734

-23.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,584 CHF 1,307

-24.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$3,558 CHF 2,935

-20.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$2,670 CHF 2,202

-24.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

-57.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$14.0K CHF 11.6K

-67.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$6,701 CHF 5,528

-76.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.46

56.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bern

$1.6K 45% 33.1% $394

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bern

$570 16.2% 109% $297

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bern

$474 13.5% 95.5% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bern

$354 10% 66.7% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bern

$251 7.1% 51.4% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bern

$136 3.9% 114% $73

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bern

$155 4.4% 145% $91

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,102 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $123 in Bern for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $570 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

128,848 Capital

💱 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 Bern 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Bern. 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 76% 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 $2,102 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $123 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $3,524 in Bern – Lisbon is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,524 in Bern, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Bern. 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 Bern 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 37% less than in Bern. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.