Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,575 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,575 in Cham.

Lisbon $2,210
Cham $3,575

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $5,453 in Cham.

Lisbon $3,275
Cham $5,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $7,331 in Cham.

Lisbon $4,341
Cham $7,331

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 38% less than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Cham 163% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$29.74 CHF 24.65

-44.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$122 CHF 101

-49.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$17.93 CHF 14.86

-36.64%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$5.82 CHF 4.83

-48.97%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$5.32 CHF 4.41

-56.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$4.87 CHF 4.04

-64.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$8.45 CHF 7.00

-59.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.53 CHF 5.41

-49.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-45.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.76 CHF 3.12

-49.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.62 CHF 3.00

-58.29%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$7.27 CHF 6.02

-44.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$26.38 CHF 21.86

-50.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$28.65 CHF 23.75

-72.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$42.06 CHF 34.86

-57.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.91 CHF 3.24

-41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-19.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.10 CHF 2.57

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.58 CHF 3.79

-43.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.25 CHF 1.87

-19.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-12.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.39 CHF 1.98

-38.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.11 CHF 0.92

-35.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$11.02 CHF 9.14

-40.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$12.08 CHF 10.01

-53.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.82 CHF 2.33

-51.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.10 CHF 2.57

-30.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$5.13 CHF 4.25

-54.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$146 CHF 121

-69.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.44 CHF 3.68

-13.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.96 CHF 2.45

-63.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$59.7 CHF 49.45

-72.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.19 CHF 1.82

0.46%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

-13.82%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

-2.98%

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

$161 €145

$286 CHF 237

-43.63%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$29.15 CHF 24.16

-36.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$54.8 CHF 45.46

-40.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$85.3 CHF 70.7

-47.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$40.01 CHF 33.16

-52.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$22.10 CHF 18.32

-56.56%

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

$668 €600

$1,488 CHF 1,233

-55.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

-28.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$137 CHF 114

-25.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$54.0 CHF 44.72

-17.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$157 CHF 130

-37.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$249 CHF 206

-50.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,780 CHF 1,476

-9.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,566 CHF 1,298

-24.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$2,896 CHF 2,400

-2.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$2,704 CHF 2,242

-25.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

-39.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$11.7K CHF 9,721

-60.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.03

89.66%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cham

$1.6K 43.8% 31.6% $376

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cham

$597 16.7% 119% $325

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cham

$458 12.8% 88.6% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cham

$370 10.4% 74.2% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cham

$268 7.5% 61.8% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cham

$129 3.6% 103% $66

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cham

$186 5.2% 194% $123

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,780 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $122 in Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $597 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

17,060

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Cham 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Cham

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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 62% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $5,362 in Cham to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,780 in Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,488 in Cham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,575 in Cham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Cham. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Cham 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 38% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.