Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Darwin

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,073 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Darwin, Australia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Darwin
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,073
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Darwin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,073 in Darwin.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Darwin $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,118 in Darwin.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Darwin $4,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,163 in Darwin.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Darwin $5,163

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 28% less than in Darwin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Darwin 126% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Darwin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$22.40 A$31.83
-25.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$90.7 A$129
-31.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$11.36 A$16.14
-
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$4.23 A$6.01
-29.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$3.46 A$4.91
-33.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$3.01 A$4.28
-42.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$7.57 A$10.75
-55.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$7.57 A$10.76
-56.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Darwin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.54 A$2.19
-24.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$3.04 A$4.32
-37.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$2.20 A$3.13
-31.36%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$4.47 A$6.35
-10.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$8.92 A$12.67
45.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$8.31 A$11.81
-6.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$8.85 A$12.57
100.68%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$3.85 A$5.46
-40.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$2.88 A$4.09
-39.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$2.80 A$3.98
-33.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$5.03 A$7.14
-48.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$2.55 A$3.62
-28.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$2.30 A$3.27
-14.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$2.06 A$2.92
-28.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$2.17 A$3.09
-66.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$45.35 A$64.4
-85.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$12.15 A$17.27
-53.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$10.13 A$14.39
-86.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$7.87 A$11.18
-72.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Darwin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$48.37 A$68.7
-7.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$3.69 A$5.25
4.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.35 A$1.91
-20.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$48.52 A$68.9
-66.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.33 A$1.89
65.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$30.0K A$42.6K
14.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$33.4K A$47.4K
16.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Darwin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$215 A$305
-24.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$33.49 A$47.58
-45.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$60.9 A$86.6
-46.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Darwin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$73.0 A$104
-38.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$28.22 A$40.10
-32.32%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$16.99 A$24.14
-43.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Darwin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$1,939 A$2,755
-65.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$8,442 A$12.0K
108.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Darwin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$85.2 A$121
19.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$46.52 A$66.1
-4.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$106 A$150
-6.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$138 A$196
-10.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Darwin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$1,719 A$2,442
-6.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$1,709 A$2,428
-30.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$2,803 A$3,982
0.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$2,124 A$3,019
-5.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$3,771 A$5,359
107.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$3,536 A$5,024
29.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Darwin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$4,223 A$6,001
-62.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
6.14
-37.30%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Darwin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Darwin
$1.7K 43.6% $519
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Darwin
$377 38.6% $105
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Darwin
$343 41.3% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Darwin
$309 45.5% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Darwin
$169 1.8% $2.9
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Darwin
$107 67.8% $43
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Darwin
$59 * 7% $4.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,719 in Darwin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darwin pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $91 in Darwin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $377 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇦🇺 Darwin
🕒 Local time
17:39 5:39 PM
03:09 3:09 AM
9 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
122,207
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Darwin 15,110 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Darwin

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 Darwin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Darwin?
Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Lisbon or Darwin?
On paper, salaries run 63% 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.
What is the rent difference between Lisbon and Darwin?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,719 in Darwin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Lisbon and in Darwin?
Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Darwin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Lisbon or in Darwin?
Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $91 in Darwin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Lisbon or in Darwin?
At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,073 in Darwin, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Darwin. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Lisbon or in Darwin?
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.
Which city is safer, Lisbon or Darwin?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Darwin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Darwin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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