Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Glasgow

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,706 in Glasgow, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Glasgow $3,706

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $4,987 in Glasgow, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Glasgow $4,987

Lisbon is about 9% cheaper than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Glasgow sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Glasgow by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$21.28 £15.97

-21.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$67.2 £50.4

-8.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.58 £7.94

7.37%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.81 £3.61

-38.25%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.26 £1.69

1.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.83 £1.37

-4.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.48 £4.11

-37.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.63 £4.98

-50.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.67 £1.25

-30.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.64 £1.23

16.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.00 £1.50

-24.50%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.00 £3.00

0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.28 £6.96

39.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.08 £6.82

-14.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$16.75 £12.57

6.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.02 £2.27

-23.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.51 £1.13

14.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.91 £2.19

-36.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.19 £2.39

-18.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.93 £1.45

-5.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.55 £1.16

27.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.13 £0.85

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.58 £1.19

-54.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$23.96 £17.98

-72.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$11.32 £8.49

-50.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.37 £2.53

-59.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.33 £2.50

-35.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.98 £2.99

-41.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$108 £81.1

-58.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.75 £4.32

-33.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.14 £0.86

-6.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$60.6 £45.48

-72.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.09 £1.57

5.26%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$39.3K £29.5K

-12.95%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$40.6K £30.5K

-4.69%

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

$161 €144

$312 £234

-48.40%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$20.29 £15.22

-9.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$42.05 £31.55

-22.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$37.31 £28.00

19.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$20.73 £15.56

-7.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$16.26 £12.20

-40.96%

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

$668 €598

$1,124 £843

-40.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$21.6K £16.2K

-18.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$132 £99.0

-22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$45.81 £34.37

-2.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$107 £80.0

-7.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$93.4 £70.1

32.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,368 £1,027

17.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,047 £786

13.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,770 £2,078

1.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$2,080 £1,561

-3.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$4,035 £3,027

94.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,923 £2,193

56.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,339 £2,505

-52.83%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Glasgow

$1K 43.2% 12% $143

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Glasgow

$311 12.8% 14.1% $39

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Glasgow

$317 13.1% 30.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 76.5% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Glasgow

$170 7% 2.5% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Glasgow

$70 2.9% 9.6% $6.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Glasgow

$135 5.6% 114% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,368 in Glasgow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Glasgow are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $67 in Glasgow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $311 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

606,340

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Glasgow 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $2,425 in Glasgow – Lisbon comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $3,637 in Glasgow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Glasgow, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,368 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $1,124 in Glasgow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Glasgow, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,425 in Glasgow, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,210 versus $2,425 in Glasgow. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Glasgow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.