Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Norfolk

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,351 in Norfolk, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Norfolk despite lower rent and utilities.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Norfolk
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,351
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Norfolk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,351 in Norfolk.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Norfolk $2,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,303 in Norfolk.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Norfolk $3,303

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,255 in Norfolk.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Norfolk $4,255

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 5% less than in Norfolk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Norfolk 74% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Norfolk
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.67
$21.96 £16.47
-24.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.5
$73.6 £55.2
-16.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.03
$11.31 £8.48
-0.35%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$4.89 £3.67
-37.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.80 £2.10
-19.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$1.62 £1.21
6.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$6.66 £5.00
-49.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.02
$5.24 £3.93
-35.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Norfolk
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.67 £1.25
-32.93%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.53 £1.15
21.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$2.15 £1.61
-28.84%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.53
$4.43 £3.33
-10.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.35
$9.78 £7.34
30.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.02
$8.70 £6.53
-9.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.09
$14.67 £11.01
15.68%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.86 £2.14
-20.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.52 £1.14
15.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.93 £2.20
-36.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.28
$4.52 £3.39
-43.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.55 £1.16
20.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.49 £1.12
35.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.15 £0.86
25.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$1.76 £1.32
-53.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.83
$23.56 £17.68
-72.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
$10.58 £7.94
-46.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
$3.15 £2.36
-59.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$3.10 £2.33
-33.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Norfolk
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$2.69 £2.02
-12.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.30
$95.6 £71.8
-53.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$3.93 £2.95
1.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.35 £1.01
-19.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.81
$18.83 £14.13
-11.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$2.01 £1.51
13.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$38.3K £28.7K
-12.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$40.2K £30.2K
-2.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Norfolk
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$313 £235
-46.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.72
$20.07 £15.06
-6.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.43
$45.75 £34.32
-27.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Norfolk
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €40.93
$45.42 £34.08
1.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.07
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.75
$11.98 £8.99
-17.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Norfolk
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €602
$1,260 £945
-46.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$12.3K £9,220
37.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Norfolk
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.1
$115 £86.4
-12.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.70
$50.1 £37.55
-8.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.9
$113 £84.6
-11.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$105 £78.9
16.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Norfolk
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,436
$1,105 £829
46.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,065
$974 £731
22.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,545
$1,579 £1,185
81.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,770
$1,347 £1,010
47.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,740
$5,002 £3,753
51.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,831
$3,908 £2,932
10.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Norfolk
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,412
$2,332 £1,749
-31.90%
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 Norfolk: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Norfolk
$974 18.6% $223
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Norfolk
$309 14.8% $40
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Norfolk
$330 36.1% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Norfolk
$379 72.9% $160
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Norfolk
$172 3.6% $6.1
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Norfolk
$69 5.6% $3.7
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Norfolk
$117 85.8% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,105 in Norfolk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Norfolk pays 47% 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 $74.0 in Norfolk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $309 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇬🇧 Norfolk
🕒 Local time
18:48 6:48 PM
18:48 6:48 PM
Same time as Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
19,256
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Norfolk 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Norfolk

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 Norfolk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Norfolk?
Lisbon and Norfolk differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,351 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Norfolk. 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 Norfolk?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,105 in Norfolk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Norfolk?
Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $1,260 in Norfolk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Norfolk. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,351 in Norfolk, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Norfolk. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Norfolk?
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 Norfolk safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Norfolk are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Norfolk?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Norfolk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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