Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lancaster

For one person, living is cheaper in Lancaster: $2,090 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Lancaster
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Lancaster Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Lancaster

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lancaster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,090 in Lancaster.

Lisbon $2,210
Lancaster $2,090

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,201 in Lancaster.

Lisbon $3,275
Lancaster $3,201

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,312 in Lancaster.

Lisbon $4,341
Lancaster $4,312

Living in Lisbon is roughly 6% more expensive than in Lancaster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Lancaster 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$19.13 £14.40

-12.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$113 £85.2

-45.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$10.25 £7.72

10.83%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.43 £3.33

-32.96%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.51 £2.64

-34.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.34 £1.01

29.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.56 £4.93

-48.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.19 £3.91

-36.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.47 £1.11

-21.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.74 £1.31

9.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.21 £3.17

-64.13%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.52 £2.65

14.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$6.33 £4.77

104.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$5.12 £3.86

51.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$12.42 £9.34

43.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.09 £3.08

-43.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$3.15 £2.37

-45.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.51 £3.40

-58.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.87 £3.67

-46.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.27 £1.71

-19.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.94 £2.21

-32.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.18 £0.89

24.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.69 £1.27

-57.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$21.41 £16.11

-69.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$10.51 £7.91

-46.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.30 £1.73

-40.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.61 £1.96

-18.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.40 £2.56

-31.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$66.6 £50.1

-32.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$6.71 £5.05

-42.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.61 £1.96

-59.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$25.05 £18.86

-34.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.01 £1.51

9.45%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$38.2K £28.8K

-10.59%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$40.4K £30.4K

-4.21%

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

$161 €145

$354 £267

-54.49%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$16.69 £12.56

10.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$47.72 £35.91

-31.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$58.2 £43.79

-23.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$6.79 £5.11

181.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.86 £6.67

8.35%

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

$668 €600

$1,243 £936

-46.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$61.0K £45.9K

-71.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$76.8 £57.8

32.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$33.16 £24.95

34.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$81.7 £61.5

20.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$26.81 £20.18

361.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,080 £813

48.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$796 £599

49.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,334 £1,004

110.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,426 £1,073

41.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$5,157 £3,881

52.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$9,355 £7,041

-51.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,123 £2,350

-49.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.55

-30.63%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lancaster: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Lancaster

$796 38.1% 33.1% $394

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Lancaster

$302 14.5% 10.9% $30

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Lancaster

$299 14.3% 23.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Lancaster

$419 20% 97.1% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Lancaster

$98 4.7% 40.7% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Lancaster

$76 3.6% 19.1% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Lancaster

$100 4.8% 58.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,080 in Lancaster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lancaster pays 98% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $113 in Lancaster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $302 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Lancaster

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

46,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 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 Lancaster 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Lancaster

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 Lancaster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lancaster is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 50% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,080 in Lancaster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $113 in Lancaster. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Lancaster gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Lancaster are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.