Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cairns

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,203 a month against $2,529 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,529

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cairns

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

A single person spends $2,203 per month in Lisbon vs $2,529 in Cairns, rent included.

Lisbon $2,203
Cairns $2,529

A couple spends around $3,237 per month in Lisbon vs $3,731 in Cairns, rent included.

Lisbon $3,237
Cairns $3,731

A family of three spends $4,272 per month in Lisbon vs $4,933 in Cairns, rent included.

Lisbon $4,272
Cairns $4,933

Lisbon is about 13% cheaper than Cairns, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Cairns sit above the global median – Lisbon by 64%, Cairns by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.17

$17.69 A$25.40

-3.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €55.9

$97.6 A$140

-35.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.18

$12.79 A$18.37

-10.71%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.75

$4.32 A$6.20

-28.47%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$3.14 A$4.51

-24.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.74 A$3.93

-39.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.08

$6.84 A$9.83

-49.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$8.34 A$11.98

-60.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.94 A$2.79

-39.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.63 A$3.78

-28.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.57 A$3.70

-40.86%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$5.39 A$7.74

-28.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.48

$9.17 A$13.17

40.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$13.48 A$19.36

-41.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.72

$15.26 A$21.91

15.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.17 A$6.00

-45.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.75 A$3.95

-36.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$3.54 A$5.08

-46.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$5.65 A$8.11

-56.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.56 A$3.68

-27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.58 A$3.71

-19.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.71 A$3.89

-48.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$2.59 A$3.72

-68.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$43.78 A$62.9

-84.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$13.96 A$20.05

-60.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$3.55 A$5.10

-62.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$5.22 A$7.49

-58.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$3.56 A$5.12

-37.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.25

$15.43 A$22.16

192.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$2.65 A$3.81

50.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.96 A$2.82

-45.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.74

$42.21 A$60.6

-60.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.28 A$1.84

76.56%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$31.3K A$45.0K

6.95%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$40.8K A$58.6K

-0.84%

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

$164 €146

$164 A$235

-0.04%

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

$18.54 €16.53

$34.95 A$50.2

-46.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.61

$65.0 A$93.3

-48.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.02

$44.38 A$63.7

3.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.77

$27.37 A$39.31

-31.31%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.44

$13.97 A$20.07

-32.21%

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

$690 €615

$2,069 A$2,972

-66.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$14.2K A$20.3K

19.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$89.1 A$128

17.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.37

$71.7 A$103

-36.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.2

$122 A$175

-18.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$129 A$186

-4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,411

$1,466 A$2,106

8.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,078

$1,223 A$1,757

-1.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,526

$2,250 A$3,232

25.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,751

$1,944 A$2,793

1.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,815

$6,629 A$9,523

15.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,951

$5,015 A$7,204

-11.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,402

$4,289 A$6,160

-63.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

6.32

-40.03%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cairns: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9% 1.2% $14

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Cairns

$409 16.3% 50.3% $137

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Cairns

$306 12.2% 23.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Cairns

$264 10.5% 22.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Cairns

$185 7.4% 10.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Cairns

$72 2.9% 11.3% $7.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Cairns

$42 1.7% 33.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,583 in Lisbon versus $1,466 in Cairns. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 173% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Lisbon versus $98.0 in Cairns. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $409 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇺 Cairns

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

9 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

153,181

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Cairns 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

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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 Cairns: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 15% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,304 per month in Lisbon and $3,793 in Cairns. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Lisbon and $98.0 in Cairns. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,203, than in Cairns at $2,529. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,203 versus $2,529 in Cairns. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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