Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Darlington

For one person, living is cheaper in Darlington: $1,658 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Darlington
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,658
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Darlington

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $1,658 in Darlington, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Darlington $1,658

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $2,593 in Darlington, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Darlington $2,593

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $3,528 in Darlington, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Darlington $3,528

Lisbon costs about 34% more than Darlington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lisbon and Darlington sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Darlington by 23%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Darlington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.67
$14.37 £10.78
14.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.5
$58.6 £43.94
4.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.03
$9.42 £7.07
19.64%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$3.56 £2.67
-14.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.36 £1.77
-4.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$2.01 £1.51
-13.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$4.63 £3.48
-26.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.02
$4.11 £3.08
-17.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Darlington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.28 £0.96
-12.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.36 £1.02
36.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$2.27 £1.70
-32.60%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.53
$3.55 £2.67
11.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.35
$7.64 £5.73
67.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.02
$6.98 £5.24
13.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.09
$9.18 £6.89
84.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$3.26 £2.45
-30.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.23 £0.92
42.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$3.48 £2.61
-46.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.28
$3.82 £2.87
-32.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.67 £1.26
11.38%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.78 £1.34
13.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.19 £0.90
21.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$1.08 £0.81
-24.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.83
$21.62 £16.22
-69.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
$8.98 £6.74
-37.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
$2.01 £1.51
-36.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$3.01 £2.26
-31.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Darlington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$2.58 £1.94
-8.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.30
$84.1 £63.1
-47.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$4.07 £3.05
-1.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.81
$15.87 £11.91
4.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.92 £1.44
18.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$19.5K £14.7K
72.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$30.7K £23.0K
28.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Darlington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$266 £199
-36.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.72
$15.36 £11.52
22.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.43
$44.69 £33.53
-25.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Darlington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €40.93
$40.21 £30.17
14.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.07
$6.78 £5.09
183.04%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.75
$6.67 £5.01
47.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Darlington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €602
$815 £611
-16.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Darlington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.1
$65.5 £49.17
54.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.70
$56.5 £42.40
-19.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.9
$114 £85.6
-12.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$114 £85.4
7.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Darlington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,436
$658 £493
145.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,065
$536 £402
123.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,545
$1,447 £1,085
97.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,770
$1,176 £882
69.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,740
$2,375 £1,782
219.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,831
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Darlington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,412
$2,697 £2,024
-41.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
5.61
-31.37%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Darlington: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Darlington
$536 55.2% $661
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Darlington
$252 6.4% $17
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Darlington
$235 3.1% $7.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Darlington
$326 48.4% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Darlington
$158 5.3% $8.8
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Darlington
$54 18.5% $12
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Darlington
$99 * 56.4% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $658 in Darlington. 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 70% higher in Darlington, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $59.0 in Darlington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $252 – making Darlington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇬🇧 Darlington
🕒 Local time
09:41 9:41 AM
09:41 9:41 AM
Same time as Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
92,363
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Darlington 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Darlington

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 Darlington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Darlington cheaper than Lisbon?
Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $2,487 in Darlington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Darlington, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 90% less in Darlington. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $677 per month in Lisbon and $815 in Darlington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Lisbon or in Darlington?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Darlington, where all-in costs run around $1,658, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Darlington it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Lisbon or Darlington more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Darlington – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Lisbon or Darlington?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Darlington. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?