Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rochester

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Rochester: $2,202 and $2,132 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Rochester
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Rochester Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Rochester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,132

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rochester

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,132 in Rochester.

Lisbon $2,202
Rochester $2,132

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,270 in Rochester.

Lisbon $3,274
Rochester $3,270

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,408 in Rochester.

Lisbon $4,346
Rochester $4,408

Living in Lisbon is roughly 3% more expensive than in Rochester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Rochester 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$25.66 £19.25

-33.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$95.2 £71.4

-34.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.06 £7.55

9.54%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.99 £3.74

-37.47%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.35 £1.76

-3.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.38 £1.79

-26.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.21 £3.91

-34.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.68 £3.51

-20.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.81 £1.36

-35.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.02 £1.52

-7.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.12 £1.59

-27.36%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.55 £2.66

14.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$6.21 £4.66

107.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.46 £5.60

5.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.78 £11.09

19.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.78 £2.09

-18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.90 £1.42

-7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.30 £1.72

-17.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.29 £2.47

-22.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.94 £1.45

-4.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.20 £0.90

64.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.20 £0.90

20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.73 £1.30

-55.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$24.04 £18.04

-72.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.67 £8.01

-46.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.06 £2.30

-55.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.15 £2.36

-33.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$4.10 £3.07

-43.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$5.09 £3.82

-22.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.67 £2.00

-60.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$39.41 £29.57

-56.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.12 £1.59

3.30%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$38.0K £28.5K

-11.14%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$40.3K £30.2K

-5.07%

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

$164 €146

$230 £173

-28.91%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$16.51 £12.39

11.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$36.34 £27.27

-9.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$39.16 £29.38

17.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$17.33 £13.00

-43.74%

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

$684 €608

$1,310 £983

-47.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$30.8K £23.1K

-42.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$91.7 £68.8

13.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$46.03 £34.53

0.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$103 £77.6

-3.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$91.3 £68.5

36.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,536 £1,152

3.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$952 £714

22.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,079 £1,560

37.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,695 £1,271

17.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$5,339 £4,005

45.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$4,521 £3,392

-2.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,403 £2,553

-52.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.12

-24.80%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rochester: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Rochester

$952 44.7% 18.6% $217

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Rochester

$289 13.6% 5.8% $16

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Rochester

$350 16.4% 41.3% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Rochester

$283 13.3% 31.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Rochester

$150 7% 11.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Rochester

$74 3.5% 12.9% $8.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Rochester

$35 * 1.6% 44.6% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,536 in Rochester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rochester pays 113% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $95.0 in Rochester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $289 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Rochester

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

62,982

💱 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 Rochester 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Rochester

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 Rochester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Rochester differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,132 including rent). Rochester is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 113% lower in Rochester. 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 $1,536 in Rochester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $2,132 in Rochester – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,132 in Rochester versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rochester but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rochester 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 Rochester 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 Rochester gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.