Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Margate

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,397 in Margate, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Margate despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Margate
Learn more

Margate Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Margate

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Margate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,397 in Margate.

Lisbon $2,223
Margate $2,397

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,447 in Margate.

Lisbon $3,271
Margate $3,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,498 in Margate.

Lisbon $4,319
Margate $4,498

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 7% less than in Margate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Margate 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$17.62 £13.22

-6.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$59.2 £44.44

3.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.66 £8.00

5.72%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.58 £3.44

-33.19%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.93 £1.45

17.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.35 £1.02

28.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$7.96 £5.97

-57.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.78 £5.08

-49.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.58 £1.18

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.79 £1.34

3.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.61 £1.96

-41.38%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.41 £3.31

-10.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$9.78 £7.34

30.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.66 £7.25

-18.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$15.68 £11.77

8.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.99 £2.24

-24.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.69 £1.27

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.56 £2.67

-48.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.52 £2.64

-26.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.77 £1.33

5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.80 £1.35

12.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.23 £0.92

17.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.95 £1.47

-57.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$22.12 £16.59

-70.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$11.19 £8.39

-49.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.60 £1.95

-50.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.86 £2.89

-46.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.30 £2.47

-28.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$95.6 £71.7

-53.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$7.95 £5.96

-49.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.58 £1.94

-57.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$51.2 £38.43

-67.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.07 £1.55

10.14%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$37.6K £28.2K

-10.43%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$41.0K £30.8K

-4.27%

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

$167 €149

$342 £256

-50.99%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$18.66 £14.00

0.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$42.12 £31.60

-21.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$45.65 £34.25

0.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$17.01 £12.76

-42.15%

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

$677 €602

$2,568 £1,926

-73.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$35.7K £26.8K

-52.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$90.6 £68.0

11.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$47.65 £35.75

-3.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$93.3 £70.0

7.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$127 £95.2

-3.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,200 £900

34.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,005 £754

19.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,134 £1,601

34.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,662 £1,247

19.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$5,111 £3,834

48.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,937 £2,954

9.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$2,652 £1,990

-40.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.04

-23.61%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Margate: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Margate

$1K 42% 16% $192

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Margate

$324 13.5% 20.2% $54

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Margate

$294 12.3% 21.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Margate

$403 16.8% 83.5% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Margate

$161 6.7% 3.1% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Margate

$80 3.3% 21.3% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Margate

$130 5.4% 106% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,200 in Margate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 67% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $59.0 in Margate. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $324, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Margate

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

58,465

💱 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 Margate 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Margate

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 Margate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Margate differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,397 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Margate. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,200 in Margate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $2,568 in Margate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Margate. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,397 in Margate, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Margate. 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 Margate 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 Margate. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.