Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ipswich

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,348 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Ipswich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ipswich

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,348 in Ipswich.

Lisbon $2,202
Ipswich $2,348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,450 in Ipswich.

Lisbon $3,274
Ipswich $3,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,551 in Ipswich.

Lisbon $4,346
Ipswich $4,551

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 6% less than in Ipswich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Ipswich 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$20.87 £15.66

-18.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$106 £79.2

-40.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.54 £7.91

4.55%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.50 £4.12

-43.27%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.68 £1.26

35.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.84 £1.38

-5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.83 £5.12

-49.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.95 £5.22

-46.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.76 £1.32

-33.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.69 £1.27

10.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.65 £1.24

-6.67%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.31 £3.24

-5.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$12.57 £9.43

2.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.81 £6.61

-10.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$15.47 £11.61

14.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.08 £2.31

-26.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.47 £1.10

19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.78 £2.09

-32.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.23 £2.42

-20.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.69 £1.27

9.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.43 £1.07

37.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.46 £1.10

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.46 £1.10

-47.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$23.41 £17.56

-71.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.87 £8.15

-47.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.68 £2.01

-48.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.68 £2.76

-42.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.81 £2.11

-17.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$87.7 £65.8

-49.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$5.61 £4.21

-29.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.96 £1.47

-46.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$33.41 £25.06

-48.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.96 £1.47

11.73%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$39.3K £29.5K

-13.98%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$41.3K £31.0K

-7.34%

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

$164 €146

$375 £281

-56.33%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$15.89 £11.92

16.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$40.34 £30.26

-18.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$33.29 £24.97

37.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$7.97 £5.98

134.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$17.76 £13.32

-45.10%

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

$684 €608

$1,076 £807

-36.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$20.2K £15.1K

-12.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$68.5 £51.4

51.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$55.2 £41.39

-16.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$80.1 £60.1

24.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$69.2 £51.9

80.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,096 £822

45.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$972 £729

20.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,410 £1,058

102.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,540 £1,155

29.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$5,009 £3,758

55.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$4,015 £3,012

10.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,990 £2,243

-46.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.74

-18.78%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ipswich: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Ipswich

$972 41.4% 16.8% $197

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Ipswich

$312 13.3% 14.2% $39

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Ipswich

$327 13.9% 32% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Ipswich

$431 18.4% 100% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Ipswich

$123 5.2% 27.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Ipswich

$69 2.9% 5.2% $3.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ipswich

$114 4.9% 81.8% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,096 in Ipswich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ipswich pays 87% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $106 in Ipswich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $312 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Ipswich

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

120,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Lisbon Ipswich 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min 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 Ipswich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Ipswich differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,348 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Ipswich. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,096 in Ipswich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 97% less than in Ipswich. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $1,076 in Ipswich. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,348 in Ipswich, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Ipswich. 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 Ipswich are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Ipswich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.