Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lerwick

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,368 in Lerwick, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
Learn more

Lerwick Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lerwick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,368 in Lerwick.

Lisbon $2,202
Lerwick $2,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,415 in Lerwick.

Lisbon $3,274
Lerwick $3,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,462 in Lerwick.

Lisbon $4,346
Lerwick $4,462

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 7% less than in Lerwick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Lerwick 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$20.15 £15.11

-15.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$98.5 £73.9

-36.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.35 £7.76

6.47%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.40 £4.05

-42.22%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.25 £1.69

0.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.64 £1.23

6.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.45 £4.84

-46.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$5.86 £4.40

-36.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.55 £1.16

-24.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.69 £1.27

10.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.21 £1.66

-30.32%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.02 £3.02

1.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.37 £7.03

37.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.57 £6.43

-7.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.44 £10.84

22.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.03 £2.27

-25.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.51 £1.13

15.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.76 £2.07

-31.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.28 £2.46

-21.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.83 £1.37

1.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.71 £1.28

15.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.26 £0.95

15.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.55 £1.16

-50.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$24.02 £18.02

-72.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.48 £7.86

-45.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.00 £2.25

-54.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.27 £2.46

-35.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.07 £2.30

-24.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$83.1 £62.3

-46.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.23 £3.18

-6.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.35 £1.76

-55.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$24.03 £18.03

-28.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.34 £1.75

-6.41%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$38.9K £29.2K

-13.11%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$34.5K £25.9K

11.01%

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

$164 €146

$309 £232

-47.07%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$19.33 £14.50

-4.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$45.26 £33.95

-27.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$52.8 £39.61

-13.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$13.32 £9.99

-26.80%

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

$684 €608

$1,392 £1,045

-50.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$24.5K £18.4K

-27.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$88.7 £66.5

17.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$50.6 £37.93

-8.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$89.1 £66.8

11.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$110 £82.8

12.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,112 £834

42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,036 £777

12.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,395 £1,797

19.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,523 £1,143

30.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,646 £3,486

67.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,438 £2,579

28.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.09

-24.36%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lerwick: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Lerwick

$1K 43.7% 11.4% $133

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Lerwick

$298 12.6% 9.3% $25

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Lerwick

$317 13.4% 27.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Lerwick

$374 15.8% 73.8% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Lerwick

$152 6.4% 9.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Lerwick

$79 3.4% 21.5% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Lerwick

$111 4.7% 76.9% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,112 in Lerwick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $99.0 in Lerwick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $298 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

7,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Lerwick 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Lerwick

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 Lerwick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $3,552 in Lerwick to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,112 in Lerwick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $2,368 in Lerwick – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 87% less than in Lerwick. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,368 in Lerwick, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Lerwick. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lerwick, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Lerwick 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 8% less than in Lerwick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.