Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Chester

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,405 in Chester, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Chester
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Chester Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Chester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Chester

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

A single person spends $2,206 per month in Lisbon vs $2,405 in Chester, rent included.

Lisbon $2,206
Chester $2,405

A couple spends around $3,276 per month in Lisbon vs $3,486 in Chester, rent included.

Lisbon $3,276
Chester $3,486

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $4,568 in Chester, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Chester $4,568

Lisbon is about 8% cheaper than Chester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Chester sit above the global median – Lisbon by 63%, Chester by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.08

$19.88 £14.82

-15.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.6

$88.1 £65.7

-30.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.82

$10.67 £7.96

2.91%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.73

$5.24 £3.90

-41.79%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$2.55 £1.90

-10.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.80 £1.35

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$6.58 £4.90

-47.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.49

$6.64 £4.95

-41.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.71 £1.28

-32.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.75 £1.31

8.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.30 £1.72

-34.78%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.68

$4.23 £3.15

-2.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.63

$9.12 £6.80

42.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.19

$8.97 £6.69

-10.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €16.00

$14.26 £10.63

25.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.94 £2.20

-22.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.72 £1.28

1.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.87 £2.14

-36.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.98 £2.22

-9.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.00 £1.49

-11.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.47 £1.10

31.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.27 £0.95

14.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.63 £1.21

-53.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.95

$24.13 £17.99

-72.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$11.19 £8.34

-49.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$3.03 £2.26

-57.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.26 £2.43

-34.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.13 £3.08

-44.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.36

$72.8 £54.3

-39.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.56

$4.73 £3.53

-15.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.71 £1.28

-62.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.92

$21.77 £16.23

-13.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.06 £1.54

10.68%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$38.4K £28.6K

-13.03%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$40.9K £30.5K

-5.75%

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

$158 €141

$322 £240

-50.81%

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

$17.54 €15.68

$21.03 £15.68

-16.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.89

$42.39 £31.61

-26.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.92

$36.10 £26.92

23.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.97

$15.31 £11.41

23.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.56

$13.54 £10.09

-29.25%

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

$674 €602

$1,775 £1,324

-62.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$24.2K £18.0K

-22.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$88.6 £66.0

15.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €41.04

$38.24 £28.52

20.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.4

$102 £75.9

0.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$92.0 £68.6

32.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,467

$1,401 £1,045

17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,062

$1,088 £811

9.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,526

$2,157 £1,608

30.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,805

$1,706 £1,272

18.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €7,007

$4,350 £3,243

80.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,204

$3,187 £2,376

47.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,508

$4,138 £3,086

-59.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

5.15

-25.83%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chester: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Chester

$1.1K 45.2% 8.4% $99

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Chester

$305 12.7% 11% $30

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Chester

$317 13.2% 29.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Chester

$385 16% 86.1% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Chester

$144 6% 13.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Chester

$63 2.6% 1% $0.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Chester

$103 4.3% 69.9% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,401 in Chester. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chester are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Lisbon versus $88 in Chester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $305 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Chester

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

119,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Chester 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Chester

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 Chester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chester costs about 9% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,309 per month in Lisbon and $3,608 in Chester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chester, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,401 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $674 per month in Lisbon and $1,775 in Chester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Chester, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,405 in Chester, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,206 in Lisbon to $2,405 in Chester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.