Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Retford Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Retford

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,258 in Lisbon versus $2,301 in Retford.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,328 in Lisbon versus $3,426 in Retford.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,397 in Lisbon versus $4,552 in Retford.

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 2% less than in Retford, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 68% above, Retford 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.82 €13.43

$20.39 £15.07

-22.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 €54.7

$81.3 £60.1

-20.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 €8.80

$10.23 £7.56

1.37%

Cappuccino

$2.89 €2.46

$4.55 £3.36

-36.48%

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

$2.23 €1.90

$2.38 £1.76

-6.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.31

$1.66 £1.23

-6.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €2.87

$6.09 £4.50

-44.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 €3.31

$6.18 £4.56

-36.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €0.95

$1.66 £1.22

-32.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 €1.53

$1.58 £1.17

13.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.48

$2.31 £1.70

-24.24%

Eggs

$3.17 €2.69

$3.96 £2.93

-19.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.50 €11.46

$9.61 £7.10

40.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 €6.61

$8.77 £6.48

-11.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.65 €13.29

$14.08 £10.41

11.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €1.94

$3.06 £2.26

-25.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 €1.46

$1.63 £1.20

4.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 €1.64

$2.88 £2.13

-32.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.14

$3.47 £2.57

-27.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.52

$1.67 £1.24

7.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.74

$1.47 £1.08

39.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 €1.64

$1.11 £0.82

74.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.69

$1.45 £1.07

-44.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.65

$19.32 £14.28

-65.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.79 €4.91

$10.72 £7.92

-45.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.13

$2.74 £2.02

-51.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 €2.47

$3.10 £2.29

-6.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €1.99

$3.46 £2.56

-32.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.70 €38.80

$88.8 £65.6

-48.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.20 €3.57

$5.28 £3.90

-20.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.69

$1.58 £1.16

-48.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.70 €15.88

$23.19 £17.14

-19.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.78

$1.87 £1.38

11.76%

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

$34.6K €29.4K

$38.0K £28.1K

-8.86%

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

$39.7K €33.7K

$41.1K £30.4K

-3.49%

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

$146 €124

$301 £222

-51.48%

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

$20.84 €17.69

$16.92 £12.50

23.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.78 €33.77

$43.68 £32.28

-8.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.58 €41.25

$45.93 £33.94

5.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.85 €16.00

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €7.70

$13.64 £10.08

-33.50%

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

$618 €525

$1,574 £1,163

-60.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K €13.7K

$18.0K £13.3K

-10.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €88.8

$83.0 £61.3

25.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.54 €34.42

$43.87 £32.42

-7.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 €79.6

$93.1 £68.8

0.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €104

$100 £73.9

22.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 €1,362

$1,234 £912

29.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 €1,070

$998 £738

26.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 €2,602

$2,032 £1,501

50.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,705

$1,704 £1,259

17.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,702 €6,539

$2,180 £1,611

253.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,367 €3,707

$2,026 £1,497

115.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,638 €1,391

$1,375 £1,016

19.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.63

-32.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: April 13, 2026

Last update for Retford: April 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,604 in Lisbon and $1,234 in Retford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64 in Lisbon vs $81 in Retford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $297 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

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 Retford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Retford differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,258 vs $2,301 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Lisbon pays 19% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,604 in Lisbon versus $1,234 in Retford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $618 in Lisbon versus $1,574 in Retford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Retford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,258 in Lisbon versus $2,301 in Retford, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Retford. 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 Retford 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 2% less than in Retford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.