Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. The total is higher in Olten despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Olten

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $3,049 in Olten.

Lisbon $2,202
Olten $3,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $4,812 in Olten.

Lisbon $3,274
Olten $4,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $6,576 in Olten.

Lisbon $4,346
Olten $6,576

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 28% less than in Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Olten 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-48.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$122 CHF 100

-48.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-37.70%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-50.40%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-58.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-66.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-62.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$7.52 CHF 6.19

-50.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-44.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-51.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-59.58%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-51.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-50.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-70.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-61.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-43.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-34.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-36.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-45.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-25.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-7.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-43.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-40.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$10.85 CHF 8.93

-38.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$14.12 CHF 11.63

-59.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.79 CHF 2.30

-50.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-35.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-56.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$107 CHF 88.3

-58.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-52.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-76.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-80.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.16 CHF 1.78

1.39%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-14.58%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-2.63%

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

$164 €146

$275 CHF 227

-40.51%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$32.97 CHF 27.15

-43.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$47.51 CHF 39.13

-30.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$80.2 CHF 66.1

-42.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$21.01 CHF 17.30

-53.59%

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

$684 €608

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-81.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-57.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$143 CHF 118

-27.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-22.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$167 CHF 137

-40.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$210 CHF 173

-40.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,210 CHF 997

31.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,035 CHF 852

12.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,968 CHF 1,621

44.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,948 CHF 1,605

2.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-72.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.07

85.99%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Olten

$1K 34% 11.5% $134

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Olten

$617 20.3% 126% $344

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Olten

$498 16.3% 101% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Olten

$356 11.7% 65.3% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Olten

$261 8.6% 54.7% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Olten

$122 4% 87% $57

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Olten

$160 5.2% 154% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,210 in Olten. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Olten pays 265% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $122 in Olten for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $617 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

17,280

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Olten 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Olten differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $3,049 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 265% lower in Olten. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,210 in Olten. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $3,608 in Olten. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 126% higher in Olten. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $3,049 in Olten, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Olten. 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 Olten 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 38% less than in Olten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.