Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $3,191 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,191

/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.

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $3,191 in Cambridge, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Cambridge $3,191

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $4,509 in Cambridge, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Cambridge $4,509

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $5,827 in Cambridge, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Cambridge $5,827

Lisbon is about 31% cheaper than Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Cambridge sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Cambridge by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$21.56 £16.17

-20.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$88.5 £66.4

-29.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.83 £8.12

1.75%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.49 £3.37

-30.51%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.79 £2.09

-18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.88 £1.41

-7.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$7.90 £5.93

-56.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.54 £4.91

-42.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.64 £1.23

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.79 £1.34

3.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.49 £1.87

-38.15%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.53 £3.40

-10.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.93 £7.45

30.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.43 £7.07

-16.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$15.44 £11.59

14.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.95 £2.22

-23.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.73 £1.30

1.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.70 £2.77

-48.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.39 £2.54

-24.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.84 £1.38

0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.89 £1.42

4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.24 £0.93

16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.95 £1.47

-60.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$22.36 £16.77

-69.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.97 £8.23

-48.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.27 £2.45

-58.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.15 £3.11

-49.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$4.07 £3.05

-43.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$95.1 £71.3

-53.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$7.76 £5.82

-49.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.70 £2.02

-61.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$50.9 £38.18

-66.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.07 £1.55

5.80%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$37.9K £28.4K

-10.75%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$41.1K £30.8K

-6.84%

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

$164 €146

$345 £258

-52.45%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$18.37 £13.78

0.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$42.78 £32.10

-22.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$65.4 £49.09

-29.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$20.63 £15.48

-9.45%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$17.15 £12.86

-43.15%

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

$684 €608

$2,590 £1,943

-73.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$35.8K £26.9K

-50.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$90.4 £67.8

14.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$47.74 £35.82

-3.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$91.4 £68.6

9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$127 £95.5

-2.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$2,115 £1,587

-24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,736 £1,302

-32.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$3,193 £2,396

-10.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,694 £2,021

-26.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$9,107 £6,832

-14.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$5,803 £4,353

-23.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$4,405 £3,305

-63.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.04

-23.61%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4% 48.5% $567

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Cambridge

$327 10.2% 19.7% $54

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Cambridge

$330 10.3% 33.4% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Cambridge

$406 12.7% 88.5% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Cambridge

$161 5% 4.7% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Cambridge

$100 3.1% 52.6% $34

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cambridge

$133 4.2% 111% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $2,115 in Cambridge. 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 175% higher in Cambridge, 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 $62.0 in Lisbon versus $88.0 in Cambridge. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $327 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

145,818

💱 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 Cambridge 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min 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

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $4,787 in Cambridge. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $88.0 in Cambridge. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,202 in Lisbon and $3,191 in Cambridge. That's a gap of about 45%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Cambridge at $3,191. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cambridge it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lisbon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Cambridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.