Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Forster

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,595 in Forster, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Forster
Learn more

Forster Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Forster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,595 in Forster.

Lisbon $2,206
Forster $2,595

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $3,737 in Forster.

Lisbon $3,276
Forster $3,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,879 in Forster.

Lisbon $4,346
Forster $4,879

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 15% less than in Forster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Forster 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.13

$17.58 A$25.60

-4.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.8

$92.1 A$134

-33.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.85

$10.66 A$15.52

3.00%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.74

$3.90 A$5.68

-21.79%

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

$2.28 €2.05

$2.82 A$4.11

-19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.51

$2.22 A$3.24

-24.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.08

$6.87 A$10.01

-49.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.51

$5.45 A$7.93

-28.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.64 A$2.39

-29.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.91 A$4.24

-35.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.35

$2.38 A$3.46

-36.97%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.69

$5.62 A$8.19

-26.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.67

$12.01 A$17.48

8.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.22

$9.38 A$13.66

-14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €16.06

$16.88 A$24.58

5.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$3.90 A$5.68

-41.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.57

$3.10 A$4.52

-43.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.40 A$4.95

-46.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.41

$4.22 A$6.15

-36.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.59

$3.24 A$4.72

-45.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$2.48 A$3.62

-21.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.38 A$3.46

-38.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.69

$1.21 A$1.77

-37.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.97

$44.92 A$65.4

-85.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.06

$14.05 A$20.46

-59.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$3.96 A$5.77

-67.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$4.07 A$5.93

-47.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.83 A$4.12

-18.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.50

$84.7 A$123

-48.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.57

$3.50 A$5.09

13.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.58

$1.65 A$2.40

-61.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.98

$40.37 A$58.8

-53.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.51 A$2.19

50.99%

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

$33.4K €29.9K

$30.0K A$43.6K

11.34%

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

$38.5K €34.6K

$27.9K A$40.6K

38.03%

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

$158 €142

$252 A$368

-37.33%

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

$17.54 €15.74

$27.69 A$40.32

-36.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.98

$56.6 A$82.3

-44.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €40.06

$57.0 A$83.0

-21.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €17.03

$17.43 A$25.37

8.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.59

$17.45 A$25.41

-45.10%

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

$674 €605

$2,354 A$3,427

-71.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.8K

$27.9K A$40.6K

-32.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$80.3 A$117

27.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €41.19

$71.4 A$104

-35.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.7

$113 A$165

-9.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$130 A$190

-6.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,472

$1,391 A$2,025

17.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,065

$1,217 A$1,772

-2.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,535

$2,287 A$3,329

23.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,811

$1,794 A$2,612

12.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €7,032

$5,826 A$8,483

34.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,219

$4,884 A$7,110

-3.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,514

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

5.92

-35.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Forster: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Forster

$1.2K 46.9% 2.5% $30

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Forster

$379 14.6% 38% $104

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Forster

$285 11% 16.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Forster

$337 13% 62.7% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Forster

$178 6.9% 6.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Forster

$92 3.5% 44% $28

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Forster

$108 4.2% 78.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,391 in Forster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $92 in Forster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $379 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇺 Forster

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

11 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

20,554

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 AUD = 0.687 USD

1 AUD = 0.615 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.46 AUD (1 AUD = 0.687 USD). 1 EUR = 1.63 AUD (1 AUD = 0.615 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Forster 18,210 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Forster

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 Forster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,595 in Forster, so Lisbon is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $3,893 in Forster to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,391 in Forster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $2,354 in Forster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Forster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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