Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,602 in Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Plymouth
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Plymouth Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Plymouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Plymouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,602 in Plymouth.

Lisbon $2,202
Plymouth $2,602

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,589 in Plymouth.

Lisbon $3,274
Plymouth $3,589

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

Lisbon $4,346
Plymouth $4,576

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 15% less than in Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Plymouth 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$22.12 £16.59

-22.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$82.4 £61.8

-24.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.75 £8.06

2.51%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.02 £3.77

-37.85%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.10 £1.57

8.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.71 £1.28

1.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.28 £4.71

-45.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.09 £4.57

-38.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.47 £1.10

-20.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.23 £0.92

51.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.02 £2.26

-49.01%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.88 £2.91

4.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$10.24 £7.68

26.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.51 £6.39

-7.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$13.56 £10.18

30.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.04 £1.53

10.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.44 £1.08

21.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.06 £3.05

-53.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.96 £2.97

-35.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.90 £1.42

-2.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.41 £1.06

39.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.75 £1.31

-17.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.47 £1.10

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$24.20 £18.15

-72.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.19 £5.39

-21.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.08 £2.31

-55.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.69 £3.52

-55.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.88 £2.91

-40.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$134 £100

-66.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$6.57 £4.93

-39.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.47 £1.85

-57.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.01 £1.51

8.96%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$38.7K £29.0K

-12.67%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$40.6K £30.4K

-5.69%

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

$164 €146

$463 £347

-64.59%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$32.48 £24.37

-43.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$63.2 £47.39

-47.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$43.55 £32.68

5.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$17.83 £13.37

4.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$11.52 £8.64

-15.36%

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

$684 €608

$2,692 £2,019

-74.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$28.1K £21.1K

-37.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$84.1 £63.1

23.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$57.1 £42.86

-19.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$93.6 £70.2

6.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$80.7 £60.5

54.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,044 £783

52.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,043 £782

12.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,243 £1,683

27.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,415 £1,062

40.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,882 £3,662

59.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,369 £2,528

31.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,046 £2,285

-47.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.64

-31.74%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Plymouth: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Plymouth

$1K 40.1% 10.8% $126

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Plymouth

$296 11.4% 8.3% $23

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Plymouth

$328 12.6% 32.7% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Plymouth

$558 21.5% 159% $343

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Plymouth

$142 5.5% 15.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Plymouth

$67 2.6% 1.9% $1.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Plymouth

$168 6.5% 167% $105

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,044 in Plymouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plymouth pays 90% 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 $82.0 in Plymouth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $296 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Plymouth

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

264,695

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Plymouth 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Plymouth

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 Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Plymouth differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,602 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Plymouth. 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 $1,044 in Plymouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $2,692 in Plymouth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Plymouth. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,602 in Plymouth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Plymouth. 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 Plymouth 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 18% less than in Plymouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.