Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lake Macquarie

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Lake Macquarie: $2,206 and $2,232 a month, rent and utilities included.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lake Macquarie
Learn more

Lake Macquarie Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Lake Macquarie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lake Macquarie

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

A single person spends $2,206 per month in Lisbon vs $2,232 in Lake Macquarie, rent included.

Lisbon $2,206
Lake Macquarie $2,232

A couple spends around $3,276 per month in Lisbon vs $3,565 in Lake Macquarie, rent included.

Lisbon $3,276
Lake Macquarie $3,565

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $4,898 in Lake Macquarie, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Lake Macquarie $4,898

Lisbon and Lake Macquarie have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Lisbon and Lake Macquarie sit above the global median – Lisbon by 63%, Lake Macquarie by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.06

$17.16 A$24.50

-1.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.5

$85.5 A$122

-28.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.81

$10.54 A$15.05

4.17%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$3.43 A$4.90

-11.08%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$3.10 A$4.43

-26.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.16 A$3.08

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$7.08 A$10.11

-51.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.49

$7.09 A$10.13

-44.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.18 A$1.69

-2.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.46 A$2.08

29.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.65 A$2.36

-9.09%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.68

$3.31 A$4.73

24.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.62

$8.13 A$11.61

60.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.18

$7.69 A$10.98

4.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.98

$12.72 A$18.16

40.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.90 A$4.14

-21.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.58 A$3.69

-32.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.44 A$3.48

-25.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.76 A$5.37

-28.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.29 A$3.28

-22.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.04 A$2.92

-4.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.70 A$2.43

-14.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.55 A$2.21

-50.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.95

$29.24 A$41.75

-77.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$8.27 A$11.81

-31.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.80 A$3.99

-53.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.41 A$3.44

-11.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.68 A$3.83

-14.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.32

$85.5 A$122

-48.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.56

$2.02 A$2.89

97.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$3.21 A$4.58

-80.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.90

$57.8 A$82.5

-67.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.32 A$1.88

72.73%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$27.9K A$39.8K

19.82%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$24.2K A$34.6K

59.17%

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

$158 €141

$241 A$344

-34.37%

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

$17.54 €15.67

$11.27 A$16.09

55.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.85

$42.80 A$61.1

-27.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.88

$55.3 A$78.9

-19.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.95

$17.43 A$24.90

8.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.55

$9.53 A$13.60

0.52%

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

$674 €602

$1,528 A$2,182

-55.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$18.8K A$26.8K

-0.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.3

$68.8 A$98.2

48.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €41.00

$36.60 A$52.3

25.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.3

$97.3 A$139

5.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$111 A$159

9.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,465

$1,396 A$1,994

17.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,060

$1,049 A$1,497

13.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,523

$2,231 A$3,186

26.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,803

$2,250 A$3,213

-10.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,999

$5,806 A$8,292

34.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,199

$4,928 A$7,038

-4.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,507

$4,974 A$7,103

-66.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.35

-12.18%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lake Macquarie: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Lake Macquarie

$1K 47% 11.7% $139

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Lake Macquarie

$277 12.4% 1.1% $2.9

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Lake Macquarie

$281 12.6% 14.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Lake Macquarie

$295 13.2% 42.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Lake Macquarie

$141 6.3% 15.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Lake Macquarie

$74 3.3% 16.5% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Lake Macquarie

$114 5.1% 89.3% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,396 in Lake Macquarie. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lake Macquarie are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Lisbon versus $85 in Lake Macquarie. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $277 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇺 Lake Macquarie

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

11 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,059

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Lake Macquarie 18,170 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Lake Macquarie

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 Lake Macquarie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,309 per month in Lisbon and $3,347 in Lake Macquarie. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lake Macquarie, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,396 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Lisbon and $85 in Lake Macquarie. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $674 per month in Lisbon and $1,528 in Lake Macquarie. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,232 in Lake Macquarie, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,206 in Lisbon to $2,232 in Lake Macquarie. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lake Macquarie makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.