Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kingston upon Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $3,270 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
158

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kingston upon Thames

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 Kingston upon Thames actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,270 in Kingston upon Thames.

Lisbon $2,206
Kingston upon Thames $3,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $4,792 in Kingston upon Thames.

Lisbon $3,276
Kingston upon Thames $4,792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $6,314 in Kingston upon Thames.

Lisbon $4,346
Kingston upon Thames $6,314

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 33% less than in Kingston upon Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Kingston upon Thames 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.01

$22.30 £16.57

-24.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$87.0 £64.7

-29.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$10.76 £7.99

2.04%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$5.47 £4.07

-44.24%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$3.12 £2.32

-26.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.83 £1.36

-8.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$9.30 £6.91

-63.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$8.06 £5.99

-51.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.66 £1.23

-30.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.76 £1.30

7.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.57 £1.91

-41.63%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$5.21 £3.87

-20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.58

$8.74 £6.49

48.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$8.96 £6.66

-10.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.93

$12.98 £9.65

37.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.16 £2.35

-28.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.37 £1.02

27.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.51 £1.87

-27.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.93 £2.18

-8.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.69 £1.26

4.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.71 £1.27

13.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.27 £0.95

14.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.83 £1.36

-58.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$23.75 £17.65

-71.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$9.23 £6.86

-38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$3.11 £2.31

-58.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$4.35 £3.23

-50.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.42 £1.80

-4.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.19

$83.4 £62.0

-47.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$5.82 £4.32

-31.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$3.38 £2.51

-81.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.85

$58.5 £43.49

-67.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.12 £1.57

7.55%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$38.3K £28.5K

-12.87%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$41.4K £30.7K

-6.88%

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

$158 €141

$375 £278

-57.77%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$16.22 £12.05

8.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.77

$41.82 £31.08

-25.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.75

$106 £78.7

-57.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.90

$10.62 £7.89

78.72%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$19.79 £14.71

-51.59%

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

$674 €600

$2,682 £1,993

-74.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$35.1K £26.1K

-46.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$119 £88.7

-14.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.87

$52.7 £39.16

-12.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$81.7 £60.7

25.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$106 £79.0

14.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$2,187 £1,625

-24.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$1,754 £1,303

-32.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,515

$3,651 £2,713

-22.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,797

$3,116 £2,316

-35.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,977

$10.5K £7,816

-25.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,186

$7,194 £5,346

-34.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,502

$4,740 £3,523

-64.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.78

-20.08%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 53.6% 47.7% $566

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Kingston upon Thames

$302 9.2% 10.1% $28

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Kingston upon Thames

$359 11% 46.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Kingston upon Thames

$433 13.2% 109% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Kingston upon Thames

$162 5% 3.3% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kingston upon Thames

$145 4.5% 128% $82

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Kingston upon Thames

$116 3.5% 91.6% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $2,187 in Kingston upon Thames. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston upon Thames pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $87 in Kingston upon Thames for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $302 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

43,013

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Kingston upon Thames 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Kingston upon Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $3,270 in Kingston upon Thames, so Lisbon is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% 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 $2,187 in Kingston upon Thames. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 47% less than in Kingston upon Thames. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $2,682 in Kingston upon Thames. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,270 in Kingston upon Thames, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Kingston upon Thames. 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 Kingston upon Thames 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 33% less than in Kingston upon Thames. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.