Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Busto Arsizio

For one person, living is cheaper in Busto Arsizio: $1,828 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Busto Arsizio
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Busto Arsizio Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Busto Arsizio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,828

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Busto Arsizio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,828 in Busto Arsizio.

Lisbon $2,202
Busto Arsizio $1,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,845 in Busto Arsizio.

Lisbon $3,274
Busto Arsizio $2,845

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,863 in Busto Arsizio.

Lisbon $4,346
Busto Arsizio $3,863

Living in Lisbon is roughly 20% more expensive than in Busto Arsizio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Busto Arsizio 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$22.53 €20.04

-24.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$90.8 €80.7

-31.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.20 €9.96

-1.61%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.24 €1.99

39.29%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.31 €2.94

-31.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.42 €1.26

22.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.69 €5.95

-48.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.00 €5.33

-37.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.54 €1.37

-24.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.35 €2.09

-20.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.40 €3.02

-54.71%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.91 €4.36

-17.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$17.70 €15.74

-27.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$13.86 €12.33

-43.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$22.01 €19.58

-19.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.76 €2.45

-18.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.89 €1.69

-7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.50 €2.22

-24.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.26 €2.90

-21.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.65 €1.46

12.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.04 €1.82

-3.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.16 €1.04

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.65 €0.58

18.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$7.74 €6.89

-13.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.03 €4.48

12.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.53 €1.36

-10.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.60 €1.42

31.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.72 €1.53

34.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$42.93 €38.18

3.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.01 €3.56

-1.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.26 €2.01

-53.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$39.57 €35.19

-56.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.11 €1.88

3.79%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$35.9K €31.9K

-5.78%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$34.7K €30.9K

10.19%

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

$164 €146

$198 €176

-17.30%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$12.01 €10.68

53.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$27.37 €24.35

20.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$31.00 €27.57

47.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$11.18 €9.94

-12.79%

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

$684 €608

$902 €802

-24.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$7,092 €6,309

148.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$90.1 €80.2

15.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$28.02 €24.93

64.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$108 €96.1

-7.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$137 €122

-9.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,279 €1,138

24.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$649 €577

80.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,961 €1,744

45.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,086 €966

83.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,535 €2,255

207.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,576 €1,402

180.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,194 €1,952

-27.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.65

5.48%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Busto Arsizio: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Busto Arsizio

$649 35.5% 44.5% $520

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Busto Arsizio

$354 19.4% 29.8% $81

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Busto Arsizio

$305 16.7% 23.3% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Busto Arsizio

$237 13% 10.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Busto Arsizio

$163 8.9% 3% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Busto Arsizio

$53 2.9% 18.4% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Busto Arsizio

$65 3.6% 3.5% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,279 in Busto Arsizio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busto Arsizio pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $91.0 in Busto Arsizio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $354 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Busto Arsizio

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

18:02 6:02 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

83,094

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Busto Arsizio 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Lisbon vs Busto Arsizio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Busto Arsizio differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,828 including rent). Busto Arsizio is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Busto Arsizio. 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 $1,279 in Busto Arsizio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Busto Arsizio – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $1,828 in Busto Arsizio – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,828 in Busto Arsizio versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Busto Arsizio but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Busto Arsizio 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 Busto Arsizio 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 Busto Arsizio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.