Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Motherwell Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Motherwell

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,268 in Lisbon versus $2,298 in Motherwell.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,348 in Lisbon versus $3,348 in Motherwell.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,429 in Lisbon versus $4,397 in Motherwell.

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 1% less than in Motherwell, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, Motherwell 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 €15.12

$20.28 £14.99

-13.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 €55.6

$66.9 £49.48

-3.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.65 €10.04

$10.05 £7.43

15.92%

Cappuccino

$3.26 €2.81

$4.77 £3.52

-31.66%

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

$2.49 €2.15

$2.20 £1.63

13.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.44

$1.79 £1.32

-6.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 €2.99

$5.80 £4.29

-40.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.08

$6.84 £5.06

-47.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.47 £1.08

-19.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.68

$1.40 £1.03

39.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.35

$2.32 £1.72

-32.76%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.46

$3.91 £2.89

2.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.27 €11.44

$9.48 £7.01

39.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.42 €7.26

$9.51 £7.03

-11.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.23 €15.72

$17.04 £12.60

6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.00

$3.00 £2.21

-22.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.49

$1.60 £1.19

8.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 €1.67

$2.87 £2.12

-32.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$3.14 £2.32

-15.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.64

$1.79 £1.32

6.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 €1.82

$1.42 £1.05

48.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.24

$1.22 £0.90

18.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.69

$1.52 £1.12

-47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.01 €6.04

$22.34 £16.51

-68.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.92 €5.11

$10.74 £7.94

-44.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.18

$2.99 £2.21

-54.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.85

$3.31 £2.45

-35.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.05

$3.61 £2.67

-34.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.22 €39.85

$94.2 £69.7

-50.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 €3.61

$6.00 £4.44

-30.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.95

$1.21 £0.90

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.26 €14.88

$27.95 £20.65

-38.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €1.94

$2.04 £1.51

10.29%

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

$34.5K €29.7K

$39.7K £29.3K

-13.11%

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

$41.6K €35.9K

$40.9K £30.2K

1.85%

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

$171 €147

$263 £195

-35.13%

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

$19.01 €16.38

$19.27 £14.24

-1.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 €29.55

$41.18 £30.44

-16.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.65 €42.80

$47.36 £35.01

4.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.51 €16.81

$6.57 £4.86

196.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 €8.71

$12.33 £9.11

-18.09%

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

$699 €603

$938 £693

-25.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.3K

$17.9K £13.2K

-0.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €90.2

$123 £90.6

-14.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.97 €41.35

$49.64 £36.69

-3.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$106 £78.2

-3.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €111

$94.5 £69.9

35.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 €1,432

$1,224 £905

35.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 €1,059

$1,019 £753

20.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,915 €2,513

$2,115 £1,563

37.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,023 €1,744

$1,694 £1,252

19.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,129 €7,007

$5,046 £3,729

61.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,635 €3,996

$4,079 £3,015

13.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,619 €1,396

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.78

-24.40%

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

Last update for Lisbon: September 5, 2026

Last update for Motherwell: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,661 in Lisbon and $1,224 in Motherwell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Lisbon vs $67.0 in Motherwell for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $281 vs $307 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

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 Motherwell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Motherwell differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,268 vs $2,298 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,402 in Lisbon and $3,448 in Motherwell 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: $1,661 in Lisbon versus $1,224 in Motherwell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $699 in Lisbon versus $938 in Motherwell. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Motherwell. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,268 in Lisbon versus $2,298 in Motherwell, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Motherwell. 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 Motherwell 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 1% less than in Motherwell. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.