Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Brighton

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,950 in Brighton, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Brighton
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Brighton Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Brighton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Brighton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,950 in Brighton.

Lisbon $2,202
Brighton $2,950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $4,214 in Brighton.

Lisbon $3,274
Brighton $4,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $5,479 in Brighton.

Lisbon $4,346
Brighton $5,479

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 25% less than in Brighton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Brighton 118% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$25.54 £19.16

-33.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$92.8 £69.6

-32.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.77 £7.33

12.79%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.33 £4.00

-41.46%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.93 £2.95

-42.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$3.33 £2.50

-47.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$8.96 £6.72

-61.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$9.49 £7.12

-60.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.95 £1.47

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.06 £1.54

-9.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.12 £1.59

-27.36%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.53 £3.40

-10.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$12.10 £9.08

6.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.40 £7.05

-15.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$15.08 £11.31

16.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.95 £2.22

-23.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.91 £1.43

-8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.90 £2.17

-34.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.76 £2.82

-31.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.24 £1.68

-17.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.80 £1.35

9.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.20 £0.90

20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.65 £1.24

-53.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$23.98 £17.99

-72.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$11.11 £8.33

-48.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.08 £2.31

-55.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.24 £2.43

-34.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.94 £2.96

-41.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$128 £96.4

-65.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$5.07 £3.81

-22.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.62 £1.96

-59.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$39.62 £29.72

-56.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.09 £1.57

4.78%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$38.4K £28.8K

-12.04%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$41.1K £30.9K

-6.98%

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

$164 €146

$291 £218

-43.72%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$16.90 £12.68

9.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$44.87 £33.66

-26.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$51.2 £38.38

-10.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$26.89 £20.17

-30.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$17.32 £12.99

-43.71%

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

$684 €608

$2,062 £1,547

-66.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$30.8K £23.1K

-42.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$89.9 £67.5

15.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$45.51 £34.14

1.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$102 £76.8

-2.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$90.7 £68.1

37.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,887 £1,416

-15.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,480 £1,110

-20.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,833 £2,125

0.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,233 £1,675

-10.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$8,467 £6,352

-7.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$6,148 £4,612

-28.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,380 £2,536

-52.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.12

-24.80%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brighton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Brighton

$1.5K 50.2% 26.6% $311

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Brighton

$331 11.2% 21.2% $58

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Brighton

$390 13.2% 57.8% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Brighton

$353 12% 63.9% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Brighton

$148 5% 12.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Brighton

$86 2.9% 31.2% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Brighton

$162 5.5% 158% $99

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,887 in Brighton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brighton pays 111% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $93.0 in Brighton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $331 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Brighton

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

256,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Brighton 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Brighton

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 Brighton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Brighton differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,950 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 111% lower in Brighton. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,887 in Brighton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $2,062 in Brighton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Brighton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,950 in Brighton, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Brighton. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 Brighton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Brighton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.