Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Besancon

For one person, living is cheaper in Besancon: $1,754 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Besancon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,754 in Besancon.

Lisbon $2,210
Besancon $1,754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,541 in Besancon.

Lisbon $3,275
Besancon $2,541

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,328 in Besancon.

Lisbon $4,341
Besancon $3,328

Living in Lisbon is roughly 26% more expensive than in Besancon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Besancon 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.79 €15.04

-0.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$54.9 €49.15

12.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.06 €9.91

2.71%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.00 €2.69

-1.00%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.32 €2.08

-1.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.58 €1.41

10.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.60 €5.92

-48.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.72 €5.13

-42.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.27 €1.14

-8.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.64 €1.47

16.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.14 €1.91

-29.44%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.54 €4.07

-11.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$20.49 €18.36

-36.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$11.11 €9.96

-30.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$18.32 €16.42

-3.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.67 €2.39

-13.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.19 €1.96

-21.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.84 €2.55

-34.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.48 €2.22

4.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.44 €2.18

-25.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.42 €2.17

-18.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.38 €1.23

6.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.12 €1.00

-35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$14.18 €12.71

-53.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.47 €8.49

-40.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$4.76 €4.27

-71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.25 €2.91

-34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.75 €1.57

33.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$43.76 €39.21

2.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.12 €2.79

23.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.09 €1.87

-48.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$30.39 €27.23

-45.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.08 €1.87

5.77%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$35.3K €31.6K

-3.10%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.5K €34.5K

0.61%

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

$161 €144

$228 €204

-29.20%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$14.33 €12.84

28.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$34.37 €30.80

-4.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$26.49 €23.74

68.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$19.74 €17.69

-3.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$10.97 €9.83

-12.49%

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

$668 €598

$333 €298

100.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,365 €6,600

139.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$96.6 €86.5

5.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$38.88 €34.84

14.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$93.0 €83.3

5.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$123 €110

0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$658 €590

144.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$585 €524

103.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$982 €880

186.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$807 €723

149.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,858 €2,561

174.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,234 €2,002

104.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,139 €1,917

-26.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.62

6.35%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Besancon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Besancon

$585 33.4% 50.8% $605

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Besancon

$358 20.4% 31.6% $86

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Besancon

$264 15% 8.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Besancon

$276 15.8% 30.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Besancon

$158 9% 4.7% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Besancon

$48 2.8% 24% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Besancon

$64 3.7% 1.8% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $658 in Besancon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $55 in Besancon. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $358, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Besancon

🕒 Local time

08:57 8:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

119,198

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Besancon 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Besancon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Besancon wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Besancon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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 $658 in Besancon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,754 in Besancon – Besancon is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,754 in Besancon versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Besancon but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Besancon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Besancon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.