Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cork

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,214 in Cork, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
154

Cost of Living Index in Cork
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Cork Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cork

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cork

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,214 in Cork.

Lisbon $2,210
Cork $3,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,510 in Cork.

Lisbon $3,275
Cork $4,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,807 in Cork.

Lisbon $4,341
Cork $5,807

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 31% less than in Cork, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Cork 136% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$21.95 €19.72

-24.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$88.5 €79.5

-30.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$12.85 €11.55

-11.60%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.45 €3.99

-33.26%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.86 €2.57

-19.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.24 €2.01

-22.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$7.35 €6.61

-53.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.25 €6.51

-54.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.70 €1.53

-31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.33 €2.09

-18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.86 €1.67

-18.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.42 €3.97

-9.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$14.15 €12.71

-8.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$12.73 €11.44

-38.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$16.37 €14.71

8.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.28 €2.95

-29.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.89 €2.59

-40.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.37 €3.03

-44.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.80 €4.31

-46.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.25 €2.02

-19.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.75 €1.57

12.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.38 €1.24

6.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.15 €1.93

-66.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$20.31 €18.24

-67.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$13.54 €12.17

-58.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$4.14 €3.72

-67.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.53 €3.18

-39.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.71 €1.54

36.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$77.4 €69.6

-42.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.23 €4.70

-26.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.49 €1.34

-28.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$32.62 €29.31

-49.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.13 €1.91

3.29%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$38.6K €34.7K

-11.47%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$37.6K €33.8K

3.00%

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

$161 €145

$235 €211

-31.50%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$21.68 €19.48

-15.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$55.8 €50.1

-41.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$54.7 €49.13

-18.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$15.40 €13.84

24.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$13.24 €11.90

-27.49%

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

$668 €600

$1,071 €962

-37.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,278 €4,742

233.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$95.2 €85.6

7.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$41.83 €37.58

6.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$106 €94.9

-6.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$118 €106

4.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$2,207 €1,983

-27.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,833 €1,647

-35.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$3,210 €2,884

-12.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$2,723 €2,447

-26.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$5,257 €4,723

49.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$3,407 €3,062

34.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,787 €3,402

-58.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.14

-7.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cork: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cork

$1.8K 57% 54% $643

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cork

$388 12.1% 42.5% $116

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cork

$339 10.6% 39.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cork

$313 9.7% 47.3% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cork

$162 5.1% 2.1% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cork

$81 2.5% 27.3% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cork

$97 3% 53.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,207 in Cork. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cork pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $88 in Cork for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $388 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇪 Cork

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

210,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Cork 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Cork

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 Cork: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Cork differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $3,214 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% 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 $2,207 in Cork. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Cork. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $88 in Cork. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,214 in Cork, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Cork. 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 Cork 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 31% less than in Cork. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.