Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Canterbury Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Canterbury

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,280 in Lisbon versus $2,583 in Canterbury.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,294 in Lisbon versus $3,798 in Canterbury.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,307 in Lisbon versus $5,013 in Canterbury.

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 12% less than in Canterbury, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 71% above, Canterbury 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.75 €13.64

$27.39 £20.30

-42.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 €55.0

$80.7 £59.8

-21.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 €9.05

$10.02 £7.43

4.29%

Cappuccino

$2.91 €2.52

$4.42 £3.27

-34.16%

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

$2.29 €1.98

$1.83 £1.36

25.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.30

$1.72 £1.28

-12.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 €3.09

$6.58 £4.88

-45.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 €3.43

$6.22 £4.61

-36.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.94

$1.38 £1.02

-21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 €1.53

$1.32 £0.98

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 €1.47

$1.98 £1.46

-14.14%

Eggs

$3.25 €2.81

$3.59 £2.66

-9.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.25 €11.47

$9.82 £7.28

34.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 €6.67

$8.27 £6.13

-6.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 €13.66

$13.16 £9.75

19.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €1.97

$2.68 £1.99

-14.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.43

$1.49 £1.10

11.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.75

$2.79 £2.07

-27.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.14

$2.66 £1.97

-7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.55

$1.43 £1.06

25.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.79

$1.38 £1.03

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 €1.71

$0.71 £0.53

177.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.72

$1.53 £1.13

-45.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.68

$20.01 £14.84

-67.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 €4.82

$11.17 £8.28

-50.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.15

$2.26 £1.68

-41.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.60

$4.61 £3.42

-34.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €1.97

$3.33 £2.47

-31.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.35 €40.14

$225 £167

-79.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.23 €3.66

$5.12 £3.80

-17.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 €0.73

$1.53 £1.14

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.83 €16.31

$15.06 £11.16

25.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.75

$1.96 £1.46

3.06%

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

$35.0K €30.3K

$38.5K £28.5K

-9.20%

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

$39.6K €34.3K

$42.3K £31.3K

-6.18%

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

$148 €128

$228 £169

-35.12%

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

$20.52 €17.77

$19.13 £14.18

7.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.52 €34.23

$44.32 £32.85

-10.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.17 €41.72

$46.04 £34.12

4.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 €15.92

$36.73 £27.22

-49.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.10 €7.88

$13.41 £9.94

-32.14%

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

$615 €532

$1,113 £825

-44.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K €14.1K

$16.3K £12.1K

0.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €88.0

$83.2 £61.6

22.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.09 €36.45

$50.0 £37.08

-15.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 €79.9

$109 £80.7

-15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €106

$96.8 £71.7

26.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 €1,396

$1,334 £988

20.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 €1,086

$1,171 £868

7.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,069 €2,658

$2,198 £1,629

39.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,037 €1,764

$1,872 £1,388

8.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,751 €6,712

$5,151 £3,818

50.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,286 €3,712

$4,322 £3,204

-0.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,602 €1,387

$3,183 £2,359

-49.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.53

-31.10%

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

Last update for Lisbon: July 27, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: July 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,612 in Lisbon and $1,334 in Canterbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canterbury pays 99% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $81.0 in Canterbury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $277 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

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 Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Canterbury. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 99% lower in Canterbury. 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: $1,612 in Lisbon versus $1,334 in Canterbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $615 in Lisbon versus $1,113 in Canterbury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Canterbury. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Lisbon is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,280 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Canterbury 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Canterbury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.