Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Croydon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,932 in Croydon, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
140

Cost of Living Index in Croydon
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Croydon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Croydon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Croydon

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,932 in Croydon, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Croydon $2,932

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,998 in Croydon, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Croydon $3,998

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $5,065 in Croydon, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Croydon $5,065

Lisbon is about 25% cheaper than Croydon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lisbon and Croydon sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Croydon by 115%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$20.18 £15.04

-17.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$72.2 £53.8

-14.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$9.65 £7.20

17.72%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$5.10 £3.80

-41.76%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$2.73 £2.04

-16.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.47 £1.10

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$6.08 £4.53

-44.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$6.14 £4.57

-46.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.60 £1.19

-27.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.41 £1.05

35.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.69 £2.01

-43.87%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$3.98 £2.97

1.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$10.46 £7.80

23.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$8.15 £6.08

-4.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$13.41 £10.00

32.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.38 £1.77

-3.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.25 £0.93

38.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.05 £2.27

-39.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.10 £1.57

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$3.12 £2.33

-41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.84 £1.37

7.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.48 £1.11

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.50 £1.12

-52.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$23.45 £17.48

-71.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$13.27 £9.90

-57.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.35 £1.75

-42.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.75 £2.05

-22.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.30 £1.72

1.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

$134 £99.7

-66.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$6.59 £4.91

-41.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$54.0 £40.24

-69.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.01 £1.50

9.45%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$39.0K £29.0K

-12.22%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$41.4K £30.9K

-6.48%

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

$161 €144

$316 £236

-48.97%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$29.89 £22.29

-38.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$39.53 £29.47

-17.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$36.99 £27.58

20.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

$20.15 £15.02

-5.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$12.03 £8.97

-20.20%

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

$668 €596

$1,692 £1,262

-60.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$23.7K £17.7K

-25.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$65.9 £49.09

54.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$48.74 £36.34

-8.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$93.9 £70.0

4.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$150 £112

-17.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$2,014 £1,501

-20.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$1,572 £1,172

-24.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$2,814 £2,098

-0.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$2,186 £1,630

-7.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$8,032 £5,988

-2.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$5,784 £4,313

-20.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$4,462 £3,327

-64.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.06

-23.91%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Croydon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Croydon

$1.6K 53.6% 32.1% $382

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Croydon

$292 10% 7.2% $20

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Croydon

$311 10.6% 28.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Croydon

$385 13.1% 81.5% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Croydon

$161 5.5% 2.9% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Croydon

$61 2.1% 4.2% $2.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Croydon

$150 * 5.1% 137% $86

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $2,014 in Croydon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Croydon are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $72 in Croydon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $292 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Croydon

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

173,314

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Croydon 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Croydon

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 Croydon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Croydon is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $4,398 in Croydon. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,608 there versus $2,014 in Croydon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,932 in Croydon. That makes Lisbon about 25% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Lisbon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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