Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ferrara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ferrara: $1,597 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Ferrara
Learn more

Ferrara Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ferrara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ferrara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,597 in Ferrara.

Lisbon $2,210
Ferrara $1,597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,497 in Ferrara.

Lisbon $3,275
Ferrara $2,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,396 in Ferrara.

Lisbon $4,341
Ferrara $3,396

Living in Lisbon is roughly 38% more expensive than in Ferrara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Ferrara 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$17.86 €15.93

-6.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$66.7 €59.6

-7.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$11.06 €9.87

2.71%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$1.97 €1.76

50.76%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$2.61 €2.33

-12.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.23 €1.10

41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$5.57 €4.97

-38.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$5.44 €4.85

-39.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.57 €1.40

-26.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.77 €2.47

-31.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.10 €2.76

-51.29%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$4.64 €4.14

-13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$18.14 €16.18

-28.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$11.16 €9.95

-30.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$24.84 €22.16

-28.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.99 €2.67

-23.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.43 €1.28

20.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.91 €3.49

-52.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$4.47 €3.99

-42.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.35 €2.10

-22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.42 €2.16

-18.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.85 €1.65

-20.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.34 €0.30

111.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$6.70 €5.97

-1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$4.45 €3.97

26.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.39 €1.24

-2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.16 €1.93

-0.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.18 €1.94

6.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

$29.93 €26.71

49.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$8.51 €7.59

-54.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.98 €1.77

-45.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$33.04 €29.47

-50.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.12 €1.89

3.77%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$36.2K €32.3K

-5.56%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$38.2K €34.0K

1.48%

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

$161 €144

$138 €123

16.97%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$9.50 €8.48

93.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$28.40 €25.34

15.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$36.89 €32.91

20.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

$16.34 €14.58

16.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$9.13 €8.14

5.15%

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

$668 €596

$336 €300

98.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$9,971 €8,896

76.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$95.7 €85.4

6.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$32.98 €29.42

34.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$104 €92.4

-4.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$101 €90.5

21.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$631 €563

155.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$541 €482

120.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$1,270 €1,133

121.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$910 €811

121.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$2,320 €2,070

237.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$1,818 €1,622

151.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$1,635 €1,459

-3.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.37

14.24%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ferrara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ferrara

$541 33.9% 54.6% $649

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ferrara

$364 22.8% 33.7% $92

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ferrara

$254 15.9% 4.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ferrara

$176 11% 17.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ferrara

$150 9.4% 9.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ferrara

$55 3.5% 13.5% $8.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ferrara

$57 3.6% 9.7% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $631 in Ferrara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ferrara pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $67 in Ferrara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $364 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Ferrara

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

133,155

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Ferrara 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Ferrara

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 Ferrara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ferrara wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ferrara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $631 in Ferrara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $67 in Ferrara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,597 in Ferrara – Ferrara is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ferrara is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Ferrara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.