Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lucerne

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,843 in Lucerne, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
183

Cost of Living Index in Lucerne
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Lucerne Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Lucerne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lucerne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,843 in Lucerne.

Lisbon $2,210
Lucerne $3,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $5,632 in Lucerne.

Lisbon $3,275
Lucerne $5,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $7,421 in Lucerne.

Lisbon $4,341
Lucerne $7,421

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 42% less than in Lucerne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Lucerne 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$33.67 CHF 27.94

-50.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$122 CHF 101

-49.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$16.07 CHF 13.33

-29.31%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-54.10%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$5.90 CHF 4.89

-61.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$5.13 CHF 4.26

-66.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$8.21 CHF 6.81

-58.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$9.41 CHF 7.81

-64.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.21 CHF 1.83

-47.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.42 CHF 2.84

-44.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.36 CHF 3.62

-65.37%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$7.74 CHF 6.42

-48.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$26.80 CHF 22.23

-51.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$26.58 CHF 22.05

-70.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$39.75 CHF 32.97

-55.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.45 CHF 2.86

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.04 CHF 1.70

-15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.71 CHF 2.25

-31.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.78 CHF 3.97

-45.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.97 CHF 1.64

-7.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.27 CHF 1.88

-13.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.34 CHF 1.94

-37.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.42 CHF 1.18

-49.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$10.79 CHF 8.95

-39.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$13.37 CHF 11.09

-58.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.25 CHF 1.87

-39.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.46 CHF 2.87

-38.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$5.60 CHF 4.64

-58.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$98.5 CHF 81.7

-54.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$7.58 CHF 6.29

-49.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$4.73 CHF 3.93

-77.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$88.5 CHF 73.4

-81.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.20 CHF 1.83

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

-12.85%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$39.0K CHF 32.4K

-0.81%

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

$161 €145

$230 CHF 191

-30.01%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$31.85 CHF 26.42

-42.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$66.5 CHF 55.1

-50.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$91.2 CHF 75.7

-51.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$46.12 CHF 38.26

-58.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$24.48 CHF 20.31

-60.78%

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

$668 €600

$2,958 CHF 2,454

-77.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$43.4K CHF 36.0K

-59.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$137 CHF 114

-25.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$88.4 CHF 73.3

-49.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$144 CHF 119

-31.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$169 CHF 141

-26.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$2,373 CHF 1,969

-32.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,897 CHF 1,574

-37.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$3,715 CHF 3,082

-24.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$2,873 CHF 2,384

-29.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$19.0K CHF 15.8K

-58.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$12.0K CHF 9,987

-61.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$6,398 CHF 5,308

-75.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

1.72

123.84%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lucerne: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Lucerne

$1.9K 49.4% 59.4% $707

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Lucerne

$583 15.2% 114% $311

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Lucerne

$499 13% 106% $257

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Lucerne

$329 8.6% 54.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Lucerne

$242 6.3% 46.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Lucerne

$140 3.7% 120% $76

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Lucerne

$152 4% 141% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,373 in Lucerne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lucerne pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $122 in Lucerne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $583 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Lucerne

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

02:20 2:20 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

81,284

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Lucerne 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Lucerne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $3,843 in Lucerne, so Lisbon is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% 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 $2,373 in Lucerne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,958 in Lucerne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 114% higher in Lucerne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,843 in Lucerne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Lucerne. 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 Lucerne 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 42% less than in Lucerne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.