Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Edinburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Edinburgh

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Edinburgh $5,397

Lisbon is about 16% cheaper than Edinburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$24.35 £18.27

-31.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$105 £79.0

-41.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.47 £7.85

8.50%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.02 £3.77

-40.84%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.41 £1.81

-4.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.19 £1.65

-20.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$8.04 £6.03

-57.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.91 £5.94

-58.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.75 £1.32

-33.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.33 £1.75

-18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.35 £1.76

-35.74%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.13 £3.85

-21.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.05 £6.79

42.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.26 £6.95

-16.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$16.17 £12.13

9.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.05 £2.29

-24.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.87 £1.41

-7.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.35 £2.51

-44.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.75 £2.82

-30.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.05 £1.54

-11.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.53 £1.14

28.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.33 £1.00

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.89 £1.42

-61.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$23.87 £17.91

-72.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.96 £8.22

-48.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.16 £2.37

-56.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.22 £2.41

-33.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.13 £2.35

-25.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$99.8 £74.9

-55.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.45 £4.09

-29.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.90 £1.43

-43.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$28.50 £21.38

-42.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.06 £1.55

6.80%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$38.2K £28.7K

-10.58%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$39.7K £29.8K

-2.49%

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

$161 €144

$329 £247

-51.03%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$16.81 £12.61

9.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$43.13 £32.36

-24.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$41.84 £31.39

6.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$23.33 £17.50

-18.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$14.67 £11.00

-34.56%

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

$668 €598

$1,901 £1,426

-64.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$25.8K £19.3K

-31.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$82.2 £61.7

24.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$50.0 £37.52

-11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$106 £79.3

-6.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$115 £86.5

7.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,691 £1,269

-4.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,205 £904

-1.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,959 £2,220

-4.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$2,184 £1,639

-7.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$6,388 £4,793

22.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$4,514 £3,387

1.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,632 £2,725

-56.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.77

-19.29%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6% 1.3% $15

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Edinburgh

$333 12.6% 22.2% $60

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Edinburgh

$361 13.6% 48.7% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Edinburgh

$389 14.7% 83.3% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Edinburgh

$159 6% 4.2% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Edinburgh

$71 2.7% 11.7% $7.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Edinburgh

$127 4.8% 102% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,691 in Edinburgh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Edinburgh are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $105 in Edinburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $333 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

488,050

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Edinburgh 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Edinburgh

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 Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $3,968 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,691 in Edinburgh. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $105 in Edinburgh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,645 in Edinburgh. That makes Lisbon about 16% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,645 in Edinburgh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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