Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cascais

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,351 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
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Cascais Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cascais

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,351 in Cascais.

Lisbon $2,210
Cascais $2,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,777 in Cascais.

Lisbon $3,275
Cascais $3,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,204 in Cascais.

Lisbon $4,341
Cascais $5,204

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 6% less than in Cascais, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Cascais 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$15.86 €14.25

4.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$44.62 €40.08

38.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.49 €8.52

19.70%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.69 €2.42

10.41%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.16 €1.94

6.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.21 €1.98

-21.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.30 €2.96

3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.49 €4.93

-39.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.31 €1.17

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.30 €2.07

-16.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.64 €1.47

-7.93%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.32 €2.98

21.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$10.79 €9.69

19.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$7.02 €6.30

10.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$15.08 €13.55

17.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.84 €2.55

-19.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.51 €1.36

14.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.55 €2.29

-27.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.25 €2.02

15.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.56 €1.40

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.29 €2.06

-13.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.71 €1.54

-14.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.06 €0.95

-32.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$5.70 €5.12

15.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$7.73 €6.94

-27.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.27 €1.14

7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$4.42 €3.97

-51.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.19 €1.97

6.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$45.02 €40.44

-0.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.21 €1.98

74.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.06 €1.85

6.80%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

-0.00%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$38.0K €34.1K

1.92%

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

$161 €145

$134 €120

20.73%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$24.90 €22.37

-26.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$56.0 €50.3

-41.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$42.84 €38.48

3.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$11.36 €10.20

68.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$7.12 €6.40

34.83%

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

$668 €600

$839 €753

-20.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$18.6K €16.7K

-5.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$77.5 €69.6

31.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$37.50 €33.68

18.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$105 €94.1

-5.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$136 €122

-9.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,859 €1,670

-13.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,358 €1,220

-12.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$4,213 €3,785

-33.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$3,032 €2,724

-33.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$7,644 €6,866

2.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$5,128 €4,607

-10.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$2,246 €2,018

-29.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.67

4.90%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cascais: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cascais

$1.4K 57.8% 14.1% $168

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cascais

$273 11.6% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cascais

$233 9.9% 4.1% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cascais

$214 9.1% 1% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cascais

$160 6.8% 3.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cascais

$57 2.4% 10.4% $6.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cascais

$56 * 2.4% 11.4% $7.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,859 in Cascais. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $45 in Cascais. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Cascais

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

214,158

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Cascais: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 30% 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 $1,859 in Cascais. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cascais – a meal for two runs $45 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $839 in Cascais. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Cascais are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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