Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ottawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,416 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ottawa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,416 in Ottawa.

Lisbon $2,202
Ottawa $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,537 in Ottawa.

Lisbon $3,274
Ottawa $3,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,658 in Ottawa.

Lisbon $4,346
Ottawa $4,658

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 9% less than in Ottawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Ottawa 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$17.62 CA$24.91

-3.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$78.6 CA$111

-20.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.61 CA$15.00

3.86%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.04 CA$5.71

-22.77%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.08 CA$2.94

9.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.75 CA$2.48

-0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.71 CA$8.08

-40.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.47 CA$9.14

-42.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.40 CA$3.39

-51.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.96 CA$4.19

-37.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.88 CA$4.07

-46.53%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.23 CA$4.57

25.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.51 CA$16.27

12.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$11.61 CA$16.41

-31.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$19.02 CA$26.90

-7.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.74 CA$5.29

-39.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.27 CA$1.79

37.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.90 CA$5.52

-51.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.61 CA$5.10

-29.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.57 CA$3.64

-28.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.39 CA$3.38

-17.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.61 CA$3.69

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.47 CA$2.08

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$14.45 CA$20.43

-53.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$12.47 CA$17.63

-54.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.61 CA$3.68

-47.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.18 CA$4.50

-33.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.93 CA$4.14

-20.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$94.6 CA$134

-53.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.68 CA$3.79

47.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.53 CA$2.16

-31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$19.08 CA$26.98

-10.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.23 CA$1.74

78.05%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

22.52%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$22.3K CA$31.5K

71.79%

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

$164 €146

$139 CA$196

17.86%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$37.37 CA$52.8

-50.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$51.1 CA$72.3

-35.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$48.10 CA$68.0

-4.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$27.89 CA$39.43

-33.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$12.68 CA$17.93

-23.11%

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

$684 €608

$928 CA$1,311

-26.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

9.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$57.3 CA$81.0

81.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$37.28 CA$52.7

23.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$103 CA$146

-3.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$97.5 CA$138

27.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,437 CA$2,031

10.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,215 CA$1,717

-3.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,310 CA$3,266

23.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,871 CA$2,645

6.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,326 CA$6,115

80.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$4,547 CA$6,428

-2.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,730 CA$5,274

-57.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.16

-7.45%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ottawa: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3% 3.9% $46

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Ottawa

$373 15.4% 36.4% $99

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Ottawa

$278 11.5% 12.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Ottawa

$227 9.4% 5.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Ottawa

$133 5.5% 21.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Ottawa

$73 3% 12.4% $8.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ottawa

$117 4.8% 85.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,437 in Ottawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ottawa pays 133% 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 $79.0 in Ottawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $373 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Ottawa 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Ottawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Ottawa differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,416 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 133% lower in Ottawa. 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 $1,437 in Ottawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $928 in Ottawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Ottawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,416 in Ottawa, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Ottawa. 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 Ottawa 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 10% less than in Ottawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.