Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and the Isle of Islay

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher on the Isle of Islay despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index on the Isle of Islay
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Isle of Islay Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

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Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and on the Isle of Islay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and on the Isle of Islay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Isle of Islay $2,352

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $3,353 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Isle of Islay $3,353

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $4,354 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Isle of Islay $4,354

Lisbon is about 6% cheaper than the Isle of Islay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lisbon and Isle of Islay sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Isle of Islay by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$21.60 £16.21

-21.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$81.4 £61.1

-23.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.60 £7.95

3.96%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.48 £3.36

-30.36%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.48 £1.86

-8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.32 £0.99

31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.83 £4.37

-41.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.01 £4.51

-37.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.03 £1.52

-42.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.75 £1.32

6.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.74 £2.06

-43.80%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$5.41 £4.06

-24.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$7.39 £5.54

74.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.52 £7.14

-17.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$15.36 £11.53

14.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.50 £1.88

-9.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.20 £1.65

-20.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.82 £2.12

-32.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.87 £2.15

-10.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.06 £2.29

-39.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.11 £1.58

-6.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.86 £1.40

-22.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.43 £1.82

-68.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$23.79 £17.85

-71.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$12.03 £9.03

-52.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.26 £2.44

-57.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.22 £2.41

-34.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.50 £2.62

-33.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$98.1 £73.6

-54.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.75 £3.56

-16.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$3.79 £2.84

-72.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$26.58 £19.94

-35.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.07 £1.55

5.80%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$38.5K £28.9K

-12.32%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$40.4K £30.3K

-5.34%

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

$164 €146

$238 £178

-31.08%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$13.09 £9.82

41.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$42.21 £31.67

-21.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$43.82 £32.88

4.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$13.44 £10.08

-27.46%

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

$684 €608

$1,918 £1,439

-64.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$24.8K £18.6K

-28.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$100 £75.1

3.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$57.6 £43.19

-19.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$121 £90.9

-17.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$87.1 £65.4

43.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,272 £955

24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,039 £779

12.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,126 £1,595

34.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,449 £1,087

37.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$5,528 £4,147

40.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,409 £2,558

29.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.41

-28.84%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2% 11.1% $130

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2% 22.5% $61

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4% 27.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5% 36.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Isle of Islay

$165 7% 2.2% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Isle of Islay

$71 3% 8.1% $5.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8% 116% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,272 on the Isle of Islay. 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 $62.0 in Lisbon versus $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $334 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,457

💱 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

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Between locations

Lisbon Isle of Islay 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Isle of Islay

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 Isle of Islay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Isle of Islay is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $3,528 on the Isle of Islay. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,202 in Lisbon and $2,352 on the Isle of Islay. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than on the Isle of Islay at $2,352. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while on the Isle of Islay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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, Isle of Islay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.