Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Canberra

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,886 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
Learn more

Canberra Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Canberra

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,886 in Canberra, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Canberra $2,886

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $4,020 in Canberra, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Canberra $4,020

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $5,153 in Canberra, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Canberra $5,153

Lisbon is about 23% cheaper than Canberra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Canberra sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Canberra by 112%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$20.77 A$29.51

-19.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$89.8 A$128

-31.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$10.43 A$14.82

8.92%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.99 A$5.66

-25.56%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.12 A$4.43

-26.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.64 A$3.75

-34.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$8.32 A$11.82

-59.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$10.11 A$14.36

-67.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.49 A$2.12

-22.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.14 A$4.47

-39.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.53 A$3.59

-40.32%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$5.32 A$7.56

-24.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.15 A$18.68

-1.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$9.98 A$14.18

-22.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$15.08 A$21.43

17.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.03 A$5.72

-42.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$3.17 A$4.50

-45.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.54 A$5.03

-47.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$5.13 A$7.29

-49.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.22 A$4.57

-43.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.83 A$4.02

-30.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.48 A$3.52

-40.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.40 A$2.00

-48.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$44.06 A$62.6

-85.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$14.26 A$20.26

-60.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$4.81 A$6.84

-71.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$5.68 A$8.07

-62.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.53 A$3.60

-7.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$94.8 A$135

-52.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.99 A$5.67

-3.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.65 A$2.35

-35.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$42.56 A$60.5

-61.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.33 A$1.89

65.41%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$28.0K A$39.8K

22.19%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.3K A$37.4K

47.29%

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

$161 €145

$184 A$262

-12.50%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$26.57 A$37.75

-30.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$55.9 A$79.5

-41.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$79.4 A$113

-43.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$27.81 A$39.52

-31.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$16.02 A$22.76

-40.07%

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

$668 €600

$2,460 A$3,496

-72.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$20.6K A$29.3K

-14.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$76.1 A$108

34.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$57.4 A$81.6

-22.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$107 A$153

-8.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$133 A$189

-6.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,749 A$2,485

-8.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,495 A$2,125

-20.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$3,065 A$4,355

-8.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,978 A$2,811

1.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$11.1K A$15.8K

-29.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$7,790 A$11.1K

-41.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$4,317 A$6,134

-63.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.95

-35.29%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Canberra: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8% 25.6% $305

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Canberra

$397 13.8% 45.9% $125

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Canberra

$330 11.4% 36.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Canberra

$267 9.2% 25.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Canberra

$168 5.8% 1.4% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Canberra

$111 3.9% 74.9% $48

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Canberra

$117 4.1% 85.3% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,749 in Canberra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Canberra are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $90 in Canberra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $397 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇺 Canberra

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

01:02 1:02 AM

11 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

466,566 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Canberra 18,050 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Canberra

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 Canberra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $2,886 in Canberra – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $4,329 in Canberra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,749 in Canberra. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,886 in Canberra. That’s a gap of about 31%.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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