Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Interlaken

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $3,869 in Interlaken, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 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
186

Cost of Living Index in Interlaken
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Interlaken Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Interlaken

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Interlaken

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,869 in Interlaken.

Lisbon $2,206
Interlaken $3,869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $6,127 in Interlaken.

Lisbon $3,276
Interlaken $6,127

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $8,385 in Interlaken.

Lisbon $4,346
Interlaken $8,385

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 43% less than in Interlaken, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Interlaken 186% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.02

$30.68 CHF 25.10

-45.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$99.4 CHF 81.3

-38.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$18.09 CHF 14.80

-39.30%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$5.46 CHF 4.47

-44.14%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$5.61 CHF 4.58

-59.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$3.77 CHF 3.08

-55.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$8.01 CHF 6.56

-57.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$5.35 CHF 4.37

-26.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.67 CHF 1.36

-31.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.67 CHF 3.00

-48.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$4.47 CHF 3.65

-66.44%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$7.45 CHF 6.09

-44.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.59

$31.40 CHF 25.68

-58.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.17

$28.83 CHF 23.58

-72.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.94

$41.69 CHF 34.10

-57.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.97 CHF 3.25

-42.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.55 CHF 1.27

12.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.79 CHF 2.28

-34.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.09 CHF 2.53

-12.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.32 CHF 1.08

34.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.74 CHF 1.42

11.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.17 CHF 1.78

-32.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.15 CHF 0.94

-33.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$10.84 CHF 8.87

-38.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$12.44 CHF 10.18

-54.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.15 CHF 1.76

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.17 CHF 2.59

-32.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$4.04 CHF 3.31

-43.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

$202 CHF 165

-78.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$4.68 CHF 3.83

-14.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$6.28 CHF 5.14

-89.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

$60.0 CHF 49.10

-68.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.33 CHF 1.90

-2.15%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$38.6K CHF 31.6K

-13.61%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$39.5K CHF 32.3K

-2.41%

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

$158 €141

$363 CHF 297

-56.43%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$29.27 CHF 23.94

-40.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.78

$73.7 CHF 60.3

-57.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.77

$98.6 CHF 80.7

-54.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$22.26 CHF 18.21

-56.96%

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

$674 €600

$1,548 CHF 1,266

-56.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$24.8K CHF 20.3K

-24.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$161 CHF 132

-36.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

$121 CHF 99.2

-62.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$199 CHF 163

-48.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$334 CHF 274

-63.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$1,928 CHF 1,577

-14.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

$1,593 CHF 1,303

-25.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,516

$3,403 CHF 2,783

-16.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,798

$3,450 CHF 2,822

-41.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

$12.2K CHF 10.0K

-36.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

$8,408 CHF 6,877

-44.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

$7,375 CHF 6,032

-77.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

2.36

61.86%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Interlaken: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Interlaken

$1.6K 41.2% 34.2% $406

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Interlaken

$592 15.3% 116% $318

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Interlaken

$454 11.7% 84.9% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Interlaken

$466 12% 125% $259

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Interlaken

$367 9.5% 119% $200

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Interlaken

$143 3.7% 124% $79

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Interlaken

$254 6.6% 321% $194

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,928 in Interlaken. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Interlaken pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $99 in Interlaken for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $592 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Interlaken

🕒 Local time

22:25 10:25 PM

23:25 11:25 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

5,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Interlaken 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Interlaken

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 Interlaken: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,928 in Interlaken. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $3,869 in Interlaken – Lisbon is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 78% less than in Interlaken. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,869 in Interlaken, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Interlaken. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Interlaken. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.