Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Birmingham

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,505 in Birmingham, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham
Learn more

Birmingham Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Birmingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Birmingham

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,505 in Birmingham, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Birmingham $2,505

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,602 in Birmingham, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Birmingham $3,602

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $4,700 in Birmingham, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Birmingham $4,700

Lisbon is about 12% cheaper than Birmingham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Birmingham sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Birmingham by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$19.89 £14.97

-16.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$93.4 £70.3

-33.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.24 £6.96

22.94%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$5.04 £3.79

-41.07%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.75 £2.07

-16.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.97 £1.48

-11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$7.19 £5.41

-52.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.56 £4.94

-49.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.92 £1.44

-39.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.98 £1.49

-3.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.60 £1.96

-41.92%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.93 £2.96

2.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$8.83 £6.65

46.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$8.80 £6.63

-11.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$15.04 £11.32

18.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.56 £1.93

-10.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.80 £1.35

-3.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.72 £2.04

-31.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.88 £2.92

-33.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.79 £1.34

1.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.72 £1.29

14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.44 £1.08

2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.59 £1.20

-54.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$22.11 £16.64

-70.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$12.08 £9.09

-53.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.74 £2.82

-63.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.58 £2.70

-40.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$4.06 £3.05

-42.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$94.7 £71.2

-52.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.10 £3.84

-24.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.35 £1.77

-54.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$23.97 £18.04

-31.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.10 £1.58

4.76%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$38.7K £29.1K

-11.62%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$40.6K £30.6K

-4.72%

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

$161 €145

$319 £240

-49.53%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$21.51 £16.19

-14.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$49.25 £37.07

-33.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$33.63 £25.31

32.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$30.44 £22.91

-37.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$16.02 £12.06

-40.07%

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

$668 €600

$1,657 £1,247

-59.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$24.1K £18.1K

-26.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$106 £79.4

-3.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$49.90 £37.55

-10.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$120 £90.4

-17.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$151 £114

-18.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,401 £1,054

14.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,096 £825

8.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$2,034 £1,530

38.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,609 £1,211

25.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$5,064 £3,811

54.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$4,238 £3,189

7.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$4,441 £3,342

-64.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.09

-24.36%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Birmingham: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Birmingham

$1.1K 43.8% 7.9% $94

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Birmingham

$318 12.7% 16.9% $46

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Birmingham

$315 12.6% 29.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Birmingham

$390 15.6% 83.7% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Birmingham

$192 7.7% 15.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Birmingham

$66 2.6% 3% $1.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Birmingham

$128 5.1% 102% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,401 in Birmingham. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Birmingham are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $93 in Birmingham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $318 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Birmingham

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,036,878

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Birmingham 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Birmingham

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 Birmingham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $2,505 in Birmingham – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $3,757 in Birmingham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birmingham, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,401 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $1,657 in Birmingham. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Birmingham, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,505 in Birmingham, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,210 in Lisbon to $2,505 in Birmingham. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Birmingham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.