Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Caen

For one person, living is cheaper in Caen: $1,671 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Caen
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Caen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Caen

🇫🇷 France

$1,671

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Caen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,671 in Caen.

Lisbon $2,202
Caen $1,671

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,568 in Caen.

Lisbon $3,274
Caen $2,568

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,466 in Caen.

Lisbon $4,346
Caen $3,466

Living in Lisbon is roughly 32% more expensive than in Caen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Caen 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$16.56 €14.73

2.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$55.2 €49.11

12.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$13.50 €12.01

-18.37%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.84 €2.53

9.86%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.05 €2.71

-25.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.05 €1.82

-15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$8.38 €7.46

-59.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$5.49 €4.88

-31.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.35 €1.20

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.78 €1.59

4.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.98 €1.76

-22.22%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.81 €3.39

6.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.96 €8.86

29.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$11.74 €10.44

-32.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$16.28 €14.48

8.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.10 €2.76

-27.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$3.01 €2.68

-41.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.51 €1.34

25.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.17 €3.71

-38.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.80 €1.60

2.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.97 €1.76

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.65 €1.47

-12.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.15 €0.13

413.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$13.15 €11.70

-48.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.59 €4.98

1.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.48 €1.32

-7.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.65 €1.47

27.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.78 €1.58

30.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$49.59 €44.11

-10.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.25 €2.00

75.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.12 €0.99

-6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$32.41 €28.83

-47.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.10 €1.86

4.29%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$34.3K €30.5K

-1.46%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$36.4K €32.4K

5.20%

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

$164 €146

$138 €123

18.63%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$32.70 €29.08

-43.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$31.85 €28.33

3.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$31.94 €28.41

43.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$22.48 €20.00

-16.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$10.13 €9.01

-3.75%

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

$684 €608

$879 €782

-22.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$108 €96.3

-4.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$38.80 €34.52

19.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$101 €89.8

-1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$151 €135

-17.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$760 €676

109.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$600 €534

94.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,566 €1,393

81.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,042 €927

91.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,496 €3,999

73.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,553 €2,270

73.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,379 €2,116

-32.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.79

1.58%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Caen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Caen

$600 35.9% 48.7% $569

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Caen

$292 17.5% 6.9% $19

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Caen

$280 16.8% 13.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Caen

$203 12.1% 5.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Caen

$180 10.8% 6.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Caen

$52 3.1% 20.1% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Caen

$65 3.9% 2.6% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $760 in Caen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caen pays 49% 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 $55.0 in Caen. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $292, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Caen

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

12:16 12:16 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

108,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Caen 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Caen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Caen differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,671 including rent). Caen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Caen. 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 $760 in Caen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Caen runs roughly 12% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $879 in Caen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,671 in Caen versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Caen but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Caen 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 Caen 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 Caen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.