Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Folkestone

For one person, living is cheaper in Folkestone: $1,977 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Folkestone
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Folkestone Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Folkestone

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,977

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Folkestone

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $1,977 in Folkestone, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Folkestone $1,977

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $3,052 in Folkestone, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Folkestone $3,052

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $4,128 in Folkestone, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Folkestone $4,128

Lisbon costs about 11% more than Folkestone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lisbon and Folkestone sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Folkestone by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$17.37 £13.03

-1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$66.7 £50.1

-6.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.54 £7.90

4.55%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.74 £3.56

-34.18%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.72 £2.04

-16.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.84 £1.38

-5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.75 £5.06

-49.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.45 £4.84

-42.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.50 £1.13

-22.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.33 £1.00

39.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.30 £0.98

18.46%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.98 £2.23

36.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.60 £7.20

34.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.80 £5.85

1.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.76 £11.07

19.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.25 £2.44

-30.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.45 £1.09

20.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.79 £2.09

-32.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.26 £2.44

-21.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.59 £1.20

16.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.41 £1.06

39.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.69 £1.27

-14.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.48 £1.11

-47.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$23.97 £17.98

-72.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.79 £8.09

-47.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.78 £2.09

-50.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.67 £2.75

-42.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.71 £2.03

-14.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$32.78 £24.59

35.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.32 £0.99

199.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.68 £1.26

-37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$21.69 £16.28

-20.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.98 £1.48

10.61%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$38.4K £28.8K

-11.97%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$40.6K £30.5K

-5.73%

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

$164 €146

$253 £190

-35.17%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$24.53 £18.40

-24.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$40.77 £30.58

-19.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$73.1 £54.8

-37.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$9.46 £7.10

97.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$21.11 £15.84

-53.81%

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

$684 €608

$1,046 £785

-34.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$20.3K £15.2K

-13.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$69.4 £52.1

49.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$31.93 £23.95

44.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$77.6 £58.2

28.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$51.1 £38.30

144.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,130 £848

40.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$810 £607

44.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,479 £1,109

92.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,631 £1,224

22.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,465 £2,600

124.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,474 £2,606

27.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.91

-21.59%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Folkestone: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Folkestone

$810 41% 30.7% $359

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Folkestone

$285 14.4% 4.4% $12

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Folkestone

$292 14.8% 18.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Folkestone

$318 16.1% 47.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Folkestone

$103 5.2% 38.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Folkestone

$115 5.8% 76.4% $50

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Folkestone

$53 2.7% 15.2% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,130 in Folkestone. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $67.0 in Folkestone. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $285 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Folkestone

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

45,273

💱 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

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Between locations

Lisbon Folkestone 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Folkestone

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 Folkestone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon, $1,977 in Folkestone – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $2,966 in Folkestone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Folkestone, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $67.0 in Folkestone. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,202 in Lisbon and $1,977 in Folkestone. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Folkestone, where all-in costs run around $1,977, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Folkestone it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,977 in Folkestone to $2,202 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Folkestone. 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.