Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Coimbra

For one person, living is cheaper in Coimbra: $1,547 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Coimbra
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Coimbra Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Coimbra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Coimbra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,547 in Coimbra.

Lisbon $2,223
Coimbra $1,547

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,287 in Coimbra.

Lisbon $3,271
Coimbra $2,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,028 in Coimbra.

Lisbon $4,319
Coimbra $3,028

Living in Lisbon is roughly 44% more expensive than in Coimbra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Coimbra 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.17 €11.71

25.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$47.10 €41.90

30.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.22 €9.09

10.27%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.97 €1.76

55.33%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.98 €1.76

14.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.59 €1.42

8.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.29 €2.04

48.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.43 €3.05

-0.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.06 €0.95

5.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.49 €1.32

24.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.68 €1.49

-8.93%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.30 €2.94

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$11.60 €10.32

10.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$7.38 €6.56

7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$14.37 €12.78

18.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.37 €2.11

-4.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.50 €1.33

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.96 €1.74

-5.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.02 €2.69

-14.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.64 €1.46

13.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.04 €1.82

-0.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.53 €1.36

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.70 €0.63

17.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.33 €5.63

3.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.66 €5.03

-0.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.31 €1.16

-2.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.93 €1.72

21.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$32.84 €29.21

34.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.36 €3.88

-8.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.36 €1.21

-19.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$14.09 €12.53

18.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.16 €1.92

5.56%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

-0.01%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$38.4K €34.1K

2.38%

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

$167 €149

$135 €120

23.86%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$21.85 €19.44

-13.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$32.81 €29.18

0.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$42.98 €38.23

7.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$11.89 €10.58

61.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$8.47 €7.54

16.17%

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

$677 €602

$738 €656

-8.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$10.7K €9,503

58.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$98.4 €87.5

2.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$36.70 €32.65

24.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$91.5 €81.4

9.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$114 €102

7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$862 €767

87.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$650 €578

84.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,508 €1,341

89.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,021 €908

94.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,748 €2,444

175.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,223 €1,088

252.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,323 €1,177

20.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.83

0.52%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Coimbra: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Coimbra

$650 42% 45.7% $547

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Coimbra

$250 16.1% 7.4% $20

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Coimbra

$192 12.4% 20.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Coimbra

$190 12.3% 13.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Coimbra

$153 9.9% 7.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Coimbra

$60 3.9% 8.8% $5.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Coimbra

$52 3.3% 17.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $862 in Coimbra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 20% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $47.00 in Coimbra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $250 per month, with Coimbra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Coimbra

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

140,838

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Lisbon vs Coimbra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Coimbra is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $862 in Coimbra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Coimbra runs roughly 35% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $738 in Coimbra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,547 in Coimbra versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Coimbra but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Coimbra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Coimbra is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Coimbra 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 Coimbra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.