Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ilford

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,414 in Ilford, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Ilford despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ilford
Learn more

Ilford Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Ilford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ilford

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $2,414 in Ilford, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Ilford $2,414

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $3,764 in Ilford, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Ilford $3,764

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $5,115 in Ilford, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Ilford $5,115

Lisbon is about 8% cheaper than Ilford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Ilford sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Ilford by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$21.28 £15.97

-22.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$93.9 £70.5

-34.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.51 £7.89

7.23%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.60 £3.45

-33.48%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.81 £2.11

-19.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.83 £1.38

-5.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$7.91 £5.93

-57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.43 £4.82

-47.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.64 £1.23

-31.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.72 £1.29

8.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.30 £1.72

-33.48%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.60 £3.45

-13.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$9.46 £7.09

34.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.61 £7.21

-17.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$15.45 £11.59

9.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.94 £2.21

-22.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.41 £1.06

24.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.96 £2.22

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.28 £2.46

-21.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.67 £1.25

11.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.77 £1.33

14.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.28 £0.96

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.77 £1.33

-53.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$22.20 £16.65

-70.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.88 £8.16

-48.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$3.04 £2.28

-57.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.92 £2.94

-47.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.43 £2.57

-31.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$97.6 £73.3

-54.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.39 £4.05

-25.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.61 £1.96

-58.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$25.45 £19.09

-34.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.11 £1.58

8.06%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$38.9K £29.2K

-13.52%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$40.9K £30.7K

-4.00%

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

$167 €149

$334 £250

-49.78%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$18.31 £13.74

2.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$40.86 £30.65

-19.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$44.93 £33.70

2.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$17.09 £12.82

-42.42%

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

$677 €602

$2,535 £1,902

-73.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$35.1K £26.3K

-51.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$88.0 £66.0

15.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$46.25 £34.69

-1.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$93.0 £69.8

7.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$96.2 £72.1

27.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,350 £1,013

19.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,023 £768

16.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,960 £2,221

-3.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,099 £1,575

-5.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,983 £3,739

52.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,831 £2,874

12.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$3,485 £2,615

-54.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.04

-23.61%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ilford: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Ilford

$1K 42.4% 14.5% $174

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Ilford

$315 13.1% 17% $46

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Ilford

$328 13.6% 35.4% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Ilford

$393 16.3% 79% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ilford

$146 6% 12.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Ilford

$79 3.3% 20.4% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Ilford

$130 5.4% 106% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,350 in Ilford. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 120% higher in Ilford, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $94.0 in Ilford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $315 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Ilford

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

168,168

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Ilford 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Ilford

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 Ilford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilford costs about 9% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $3,620 in Ilford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 17% more in Ilford, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $94.0 in Ilford. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Ilford at $2,414. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ilford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,223 versus $2,414 in Ilford. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ilford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.