Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Colchester

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Colchester: $2,223 and $2,298 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Colchester
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Colchester Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Colchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Colchester

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $2,298 in Colchester, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Colchester $2,298

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $3,409 in Colchester, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Colchester $3,409

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $4,521 in Colchester, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Colchester $4,521

Lisbon is about 3% cheaper than Colchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Colchester sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Colchester by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$20.69 £15.52

-20.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$92.0 £69.1

-33.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.61 £7.96

6.22%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.41 £4.06

-43.44%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.72 £2.04

-16.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.77 £1.33

-2.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$7.07 £5.30

-52.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.96 £5.22

-51.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.44 £1.08

-22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.39 £1.04

33.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.68 £1.26

-8.93%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.98 £2.23

32.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$9.21 £6.91

38.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$7.58 £5.69

4.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$14.47 £10.86

17.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.15 £2.37

-27.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.39 £1.04

25.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.79 £2.10

-33.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.28 £2.46

-21.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.59 £1.19

16.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.45 £1.09

39.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.68 £1.26

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.40 £1.05

-41.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$23.30 £17.48

-71.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.73 £8.05

-47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.76 £2.07

-53.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.51 £2.64

-41.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.72 £2.79

-36.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$101 £75.6

-56.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.77 £4.33

-30.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.35 £1.01

-19.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$20.93 £15.70

-20.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.04 £1.53

11.76%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$38.1K £28.6K

-11.66%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$39.7K £29.8K

-1.13%

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

$167 €149

$252 £189

-33.41%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$24.86 £18.65

-24.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$41.54 £31.16

-20.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$67.8 £50.8

-32.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$10.75 £8.07

78.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$21.25 £15.94

-53.69%

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

$677 €602

$1,061 £796

-36.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$20.1K £15.1K

-15.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$70.7 £53.1

43.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$31.15 £23.37

46.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$78.1 £58.6

28.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$49.87 £37.41

146.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,256 £943

28.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,027 £771

16.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,855 £1,392

54.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,684 £1,263

18.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,983 £3,739

52.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,357 £2,519

28.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$3,499 £2,625

-54.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.91

-21.59%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Colchester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Colchester

$1K 44.7% 14.2% $170

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Colchester

$281 12.2% 4.3% $12

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Colchester

$330 14.3% 36.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Colchester

$318 13.8% 44.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Colchester

$103 4.5% 37.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Colchester

$110 4.8% 67.8% $45

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Colchester

$128 5.6% 103% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,256 in Colchester. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 120% higher in Colchester, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $92.0 in Colchester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $281 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Colchester

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

190,098

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Colchester 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Colchester

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 Colchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon, $2,298 in Colchester – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $3,447 in Colchester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 128% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $677 per month in Lisbon and $1,061 in Colchester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Colchester at $2,298. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Colchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,223 in Lisbon to $2,298 in Colchester. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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