Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cambridge, Canada

Name: Cambridge
Address: Cambridge, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,527 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cambridge

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,527 in Cambridge.

Lisbon $2,210
Cambridge $2,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,443 in Cambridge.

Lisbon $3,275
Cambridge $3,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,359 in Cambridge.

Lisbon $4,341
Cambridge $4,359

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 13% less than in Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Cambridge 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$17.69 CA$24.72

-5.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$56.7 CA$79.2

8.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$10.55 CA$14.74

7.68%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$3.56 CA$4.97

-16.57%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$1.99 CA$2.78

15.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.22 CA$1.71

42.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$5.19 CA$7.26

-34.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$6.26 CA$8.75

-47.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.99 CA$2.79

-41.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.41 CA$3.37

-20.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.19 CA$4.47

-52.66%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$3.32 CA$4.64

21.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$11.24 CA$15.71

15.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$11.38 CA$15.90

-31.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$14.43 CA$20.17

23.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.07 CA$5.68

-43.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.33 CA$1.86

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.05 CA$5.65

-54.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$3.74 CA$5.22

-30.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.76 CA$3.85

-34.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.94 CA$2.71

1.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.00 CA$2.80

-26.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.29 CA$1.81

-44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$12.93 CA$18.08

-49.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$12.40 CA$17.34

-54.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.63 CA$3.67

-48.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.04 CA$5.64

-47.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.80 CA$3.92

-16.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

$69.4 CA$97.1

-35.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$2.56 CA$3.58

50.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.80 CA$2.51

-40.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$23.32 CA$32.60

-29.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.22 CA$1.71

80.33%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$26.5K CA$37.0K

29.02%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$20.7K CA$28.9K

87.24%

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

$161 €144

$152 CA$213

5.82%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$42.51 CA$59.4

-56.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$50.5 CA$70.6

-35.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$28.64 CA$40.03

55.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$10.74 CA$15.01

-10.61%

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

$668 €596

$497 CA$695

34.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$15.8K CA$22.1K

11.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$63.5 CA$88.7

60.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$33.07 CA$46.22

34.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$82.3 CA$115

19.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$106 CA$148

17.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$1,529 CA$2,137

5.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$1,395 CA$1,949

-14.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$2,057 CA$2,876

36.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$1,870 CA$2,614

7.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$4,450 CA$6,220

76.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$3,682 CA$5,147

24.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$3,028 CA$4,232

-47.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.22

-26.25%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cambridge

$1.4K 55.2% 17.2% $205

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cambridge

$349 13.8% 28.1% $77

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cambridge

$267 10.6% 10.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cambridge

$245 9.7% 15.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cambridge

$128 5.1% 22.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cambridge

$50 2% 21.4% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cambridge

$92 3.7% 45.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,529 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays 92% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $57 in Cambridge. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $349, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

10:21 10:21 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

138,479

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Cambridge 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Cambridge

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,529 in Cambridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Cambridge. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cambridge – a meal for two runs $57 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Cambridge on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.