Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Nelson BC

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Nelson BC: $2,210 and $2,255 a month, rent and utilities included.

Lisbon, Portugal
Nelson BC, Canada
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Nelson BC
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,255
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Nelson BC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,255 in Nelson BC.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Nelson BC $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,119 in Nelson BC.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Nelson BC $3,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,984 in Nelson BC.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Nelson BC $3,984

Monthly costs are close between Lisbon and Nelson BC; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Nelson BC 66% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Nelson BC
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$14.29 CA$19.97
16.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$59.5 CA$83.1
3.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$9.02 CA$12.60
25.94%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$3.99 CA$5.57
-25.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$2.07 CA$2.89
10.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.73 CA$2.42
0.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$4.68 CA$6.54
-27.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$5.83 CA$8.14
-43.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Nelson BC
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$2.05 CA$2.87
-43.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$2.88 CA$4.03
-33.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$3.49 CA$4.88
-56.73%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$3.14 CA$4.39
28.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$9.17 CA$12.82
41.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$13.60 CA$19.00
-42.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$21.34 CA$29.82
-16.78%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$3.52 CA$4.91
-34.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$0.61 CA$0.86
183.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.62 CA$2.26
14.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$4.68 CA$6.54
-44.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$3.23 CA$4.51
-43.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$3.14 CA$4.39
-37.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$2.62 CA$3.66
-43.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$1.97 CA$2.76
-63.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$14.51 CA$20.27
-54.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$13.74 CA$19.20
-59.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$2.62 CA$3.65
-48.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$3.16 CA$4.42
-32.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Nelson BC
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$1.53 CA$2.14
52.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
$37.16 CA$51.9
20.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$2.91 CA$4.07
32.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.76 CA$2.45
-39.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$34.81 CA$48.65
-52.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.27 CA$1.78
73.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$28.5K CA$39.9K
19.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$18.0K CA$25.2K
114.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Nelson BC
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$128 CA$178
26.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$44.60 CA$62.3
-58.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$58.1 CA$81.2
-43.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Nelson BC
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
$57.8 CA$80.7
-22.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$11.39 CA$15.91
-15.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Nelson BC
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$1,018 CA$1,422
-34.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$16.6K CA$23.2K
6.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Nelson BC
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$48.21 CA$67.4
111.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$41.74 CA$58.3
6.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$84.7 CA$118
16.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$99.1 CA$138
24.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Nelson BC
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
$1,357 CA$1,896
18.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$1,143 CA$1,597
4.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$2,171 CA$3,033
29.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
$1,504 CA$2,101
33.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Nelson BC
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$3,219 CA$4,498
-51.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.62
-16.67%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nelson BC: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Nelson BC
$1.1K 4% $47
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Nelson BC
$384 40.8% $111
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Nelson BC
$240 1.3% $3.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Nelson BC
$230 8.4% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Nelson BC
$123 25.8% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Nelson BC
$81 26.3% $17
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Nelson BC
$55 13% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,357 in Nelson BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nelson BC pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $59 in Nelson BC. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $384, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇨🇦 Nelson BC
🕒 Local time
10:59 10:59 AM
03:59 3:59 AM
7 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
10,664
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Nelson BC 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Nelson BC

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 Nelson BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 51% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Nelson BC?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,357 in Nelson BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Lisbon and in Nelson BC?
A monthly transit pass in Nelson BC runs roughly 17% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Nelson BC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How far does $3,000 go in Lisbon compared to Nelson BC?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Nelson BC?
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.
Is Lisbon or Nelson BC safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Nelson BC are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Lisbon and Nelson BC?
It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Nelson BC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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