Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Glarus

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $3,326 in Glarus, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Glarus, Switzerland
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,206
/mo nomad
Glarus
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,326
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Glarus

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

A single person spends $2,206 per month in Lisbon vs $3,326 in Glarus, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,206
  • Glarus $3,326

A couple spends around $3,276 per month in Lisbon vs $5,048 in Glarus, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,276
  • Glarus $5,048

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $6,769 in Glarus, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Glarus $6,769

Lisbon is about 34% cheaper than Glarus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lisbon and Glarus sit above the global median – Lisbon by 63%, Glarus by 146%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Glarus
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.86 €15.02
$28.96 CHF 23.69
-41.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.0 €54.4
$123 CHF 100
-50.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.98 €9.78
$17.49 CHF 14.30
-37.22%
Cappuccino
$3.05 €2.72
$6.29 CHF 5.15
-51.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 €2.03
$3.79 CHF 3.10
-39.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 €1.50
$3.90 CHF 3.19
-56.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 €3.06
$9.40 CHF 7.69
-63.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.91 €3.48
$6.22 CHF 5.09
-37.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Glarus
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 €1.02
$2.22 CHF 1.82
-48.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.89 €1.68
$3.26 CHF 2.66
-42.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 €1.34
$2.90 CHF 2.37
-48.28%
Eggs
$4.12 €3.67
$8.04 CHF 6.58
-48.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.01 €11.59
$8.52 CHF 6.97
52.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.04 €7.17
$14.36 CHF 11.74
-44.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.89 €15.94
$39.26 CHF 32.11
-54.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$3.16 CHF 2.58
-28.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 €1.55
$1.56 CHF 1.27
11.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 €1.62
$2.35 CHF 1.93
-22.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.69 €2.39
$5.44 CHF 4.45
-50.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.77 €1.57
$1.75 CHF 1.43
1.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 €1.73
$2.13 CHF 1.74
-8.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.30
$2.18 CHF 1.79
-33.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 €0.68
$1.21 CHF 0.99
-37.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.66 €5.93
$11.01 CHF 9.00
-39.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.64 €5.02
$11.41 CHF 9.33
-50.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 €1.15
$2.19 CHF 1.79
-41.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.36 CHF 1.93
-9.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Glarus
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.30 €2.05
$6.16 CHF 5.04
-62.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.02 €39.21
$225 CHF 184
-80.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 €3.55
$6.88 CHF 5.63
-42.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 €0.57
$4.74 CHF 3.88
-86.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.93 €16.86
$80.7 CHF 66.0
-76.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$2.35 CHF 1.92
-2.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K €29.7K
$39.1K CHF 31.9K
-14.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.3K
$39.7K CHF 32.5K
-3.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Glarus
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 €141
$318 CHF 260
-50.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.54 €15.62
$39.16 CHF 32.03
-55.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.18 €27.78
$54.3 CHF 44.43
-42.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Glarus
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.64 €39.77
$162 CHF 133
-72.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.98 €16.91
$43.45 CHF 35.54
-56.32%
Cinema Ticket
$9.58 €8.53
$25.38 CHF 20.76
-62.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Glarus
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$674 €600
$2,287 CHF 1,871
-70.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K €16.7K
$32.0K CHF 26.1K
-41.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Glarus
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.0
$103 CHF 84.5
-1.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.90 €40.89
$42.18 CHF 34.50
8.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €91.0
$134 CHF 110
-23.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 €109
$99.1 CHF 81.0
23.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Glarus
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,641 €1,461
$1,721 CHF 1,407
-4.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 €1,058
$1,355 CHF 1,108
-12.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,825 €2,516
$2,964 CHF 2,424
-4.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,018 €1,798
$2,307 CHF 1,887
-12.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,836 €6,980
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,701 €4,188
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Glarus
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,687 €1,503
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.82
2.1
81.90%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Glarus: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Glarus
$1.4K 14.1% $167
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$275
Glarus
$447 62.7% $172
Eating Out
Lisbon
$245
Glarus
$450 83.4% $205
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$207
Glarus
$411 98.8% $204
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Glarus
$171 1.8% $3
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Glarus
$213 234% $149
Getting Around
Lisbon
$60
Glarus
$280 364% $220

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,721 in Glarus. 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 $61 in Lisbon versus $123 in Glarus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $447 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇨🇭 Glarus
🕒 Local time
22:34 10:34 PM
23:34 11:34 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
12,500
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.918 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Glarus 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Glarus

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 Glarus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Glarus?
Yes – Glarus is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,309 per month in Lisbon and $4,989 in Glarus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Lisbon and Glarus?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,721 in Glarus. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 80% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $674 per month in Lisbon and $2,287 in Glarus. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Lisbon or in Glarus?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,206, than in Glarus at $3,326. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glarus it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Lisbon or Glarus more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Lisbon or Glarus?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Lisbon is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 34% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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