Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Elgin

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin: $1,803 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Elgin
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Elgin Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Elgin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Elgin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,803 in Elgin.

Lisbon $2,202
Elgin $1,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,850 in Elgin.

Lisbon $3,274
Elgin $2,850

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,896 in Elgin.

Lisbon $4,346
Elgin $3,896

Living in Lisbon is roughly 22% more expensive than in Elgin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Elgin 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$21.57 £16.19

-21.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$71.8 £53.9

-13.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.25 £7.69

7.51%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.55 £3.41

-31.43%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.97 £1.48

15.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.29 £0.97

34.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.42 £3.32

-22.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.01 £4.51

-37.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.67 £1.25

-29.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.64 £1.23

13.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.07 £1.55

-25.60%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.84 £2.88

5.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.22 £6.91

40.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.29 £6.97

-14.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$17.24 £12.94

2.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.27 £2.45

-30.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.57 £1.18

11.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.99 £2.25

-36.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.31 £2.48

-22.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.91 £1.43

-3.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.60 £1.20

23.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.20 £0.90

20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.63 £1.22

-52.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$23.90 £17.93

-71.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$11.15 £8.37

-49.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.35 £2.51

-59.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.34 £2.51

-36.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.56 £2.67

-34.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$122 £91.3

-63.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$5.69 £4.27

-30.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.18 £0.89

-11.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$26.07 £19.56

-34.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.18 £1.63

0.46%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$38.1K £28.6K

-11.27%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$40.8K £30.6K

-6.11%

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

$164 €146

$200 £150

-18.09%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$20.02 £15.02

-7.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$40.17 £30.14

-17.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$37.00 £27.76

23.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$5.47 £4.10

241.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$11.09 £8.32

-12.08%

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

$684 €608

$937 £703

-26.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$22.0K £16.5K

-19.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$36.15 £27.12

186.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$45.40 £34.06

1.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$106 £79.8

-6.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$91.0 £68.3

37.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$908 £681

75.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$590 £443

98.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,784 £1,339

59.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,199 £900

66.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$5,068 £3,802

53.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,862 £2,897

14.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,018 £1,514

-20.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.79

-19.62%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Elgin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Elgin

$590 32.7% 49.5% $579

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Elgin

$316 17.5% 15.7% $43

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Elgin

$305 16.9% 23.3% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Elgin

$260 14.4% 20.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Elgin

$126 7% 25.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Elgin

$59 3.3% 9.5% $6.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Elgin

$148 8.2% 135% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $908 in Elgin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elgin pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $72.0 in Elgin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $316 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Elgin

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

25,040

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Elgin 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Elgin

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 Elgin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Elgin differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,803 including rent). Elgin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Elgin. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $908 in Elgin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Elgin runs roughly 174% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $937 in Elgin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,803 in Elgin versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Elgin but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin 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 Elgin 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 Elgin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.