Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,328 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Carlton despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Carlton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,328 in Carlton.

Lisbon $2,210
Carlton $2,328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,353 in Carlton.

Lisbon $3,275
Carlton $3,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,379 in Carlton.

Lisbon $4,341
Carlton $4,379

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 5% less than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Carlton 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$17.33 A$24.65

-3.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$69.1 A$98.3

-10.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.28 A$14.62

10.51%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.03 A$4.31

-1.98%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.70 A$3.84

-15.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.05 A$2.91

-15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.69 A$9.51

-49.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.60 A$9.39

-49.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.30 A$1.85

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.08 A$2.96

-8.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.39 A$1.98

8.63%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.41 A$4.84

17.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.40 A$14.79

24.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.96 A$14.17

-21.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$14.94 A$21.25

18.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.31 A$4.71

-30.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.76 A$3.93

-37.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.27 A$4.66

-43.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.77 A$6.79

-45.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.41 A$3.42

-24.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.17 A$3.09

-9.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.25 A$3.20

-34.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.90 A$1.28

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$25.30 A$35.98

-73.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.61 A$15.09

-47.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$5.57 A$7.92

-75.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$5.28 A$7.51

-59.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.08 A$4.38

-24.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$82.7 A$118

-45.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.67 A$5.22

4.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.24 A$1.76

-13.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$26.46 A$37.64

-37.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.29 A$1.84

70.54%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$18.2K A$25.9K

87.48%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$14.0K A$20.0K

175.68%

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

$161 €144

$93.2 A$133

73.04%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$28.34 A$40.30

-35.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$46.79 A$66.6

-30.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$31.85 A$45.30

39.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$17.90 A$25.46

6.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$13.46 A$19.14

-28.68%

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

$668 €598

$2,108 A$2,998

-68.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$12.4K A$17.6K

42.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$80.0 A$114

27.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$51.0 A$72.5

-12.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$69.7 A$99.1

41.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$132 A$187

-6.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,409 A$2,005

14.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,235 A$1,756

-3.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,220 A$3,158

26.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,837 A$2,612

9.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$5,665 A$8,057

38.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$4,619 A$6,569

-0.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$5,904 A$8,398

-73.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.9

-34.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Carlton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Carlton

$1.2K 53.1% 3.8% $45

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Carlton

$340 14.6% 24.8% $68

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Carlton

$272 11.7% 11.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Carlton

$168 7.2% 20.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Carlton

$150 6.4% 9.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Carlton

$59 2.5% 7.8% $5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Carlton

$105 4.5% 65.9% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,409 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $69 in Carlton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $340 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

17:08 5:08 PM

11 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

19,001

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Carlton 17,760 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,328 in Carlton, so Lisbon is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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 $1,409 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,108 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Carlton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Carlton are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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