Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Roubaix

For one person, living is cheaper in Roubaix: $1,656 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Roubaix
Learn more

Roubaix Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Roubaix

🇫🇷 France

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Roubaix

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,656 in Roubaix.

Lisbon $2,202
Roubaix $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,580 in Roubaix.

Lisbon $3,274
Roubaix $2,580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,505 in Roubaix.

Lisbon $4,346
Roubaix $3,505

Living in Lisbon is roughly 33% more expensive than in Roubaix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Roubaix 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$18.17 €16.16

-6.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$74.0 €65.8

-15.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$13.62 €12.11

-19.09%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.83 €3.41

-18.54%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.19 €2.84

-28.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.64 €1.46

6.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$7.59 €6.75

-54.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$5.67 €5.04

-34.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.14 €1.02

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.59 €1.41

16.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.82 €2.51

-45.39%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.04 €1.81

99.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$12.71 €11.30

1.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.01 €8.01

-12.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$13.08 €11.64

34.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$0.98 €0.88

130.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.11 €0.98

57.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.19 €1.95

-13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.70 €2.40

-5.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.76 €0.67

143.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.92 €0.82

114.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.68 €1.49

-13.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.22 €0.19

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$11.66 €10.37

-42.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$8.48 €7.55

-33.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.37 €2.10

-42.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.27 €3.80

-50.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.94 €1.72

19.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$48.11 €42.80

-7.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.21 €1.97

78.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.15 €1.91

-51.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$24.07 €21.41

-28.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.07 €1.84

5.80%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$28.3K €25.1K

19.49%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$27.7K €24.6K

38.27%

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

$164 €146

$176 €157

-7.18%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$15.18 €13.50

21.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$30.56 €27.18

7.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$35.62 €31.68

28.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$10.97 €9.76

-11.12%

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

$684 €608

$629 €560

8.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$8,319 €7,399

111.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$87.0 €77.4

19.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$40.20 €35.76

14.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$101 €89.5

-0.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$102 €91.1

21.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$756 €672

110.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$604 €537

93.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,360 €1,209

109.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,132 €1,007

76.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,956 €3,519

96.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,007 €2,675

46.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,761 €1,566

-9.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.92

-1.79%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Roubaix: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Roubaix

$604 36.5% 48.3% $565

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Roubaix

$254 15.3% 7.1% $19

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Roubaix

$301 18.2% 21.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Roubaix

$222 13.4% 3.2% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Roubaix

$149 9% 11.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Roubaix

$58 3.5% 11.9% $7.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Roubaix

$69 4.2% 9.3% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $756 in Roubaix. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roubaix pays 10% 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 $74.0 in Roubaix. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $254, with Roubaix cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Roubaix

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

98,892

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Roubaix 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Roubaix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Roubaix differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,656 including rent). Roubaix is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Roubaix. 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 $756 in Roubaix. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $629 in Roubaix. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,656 in Roubaix versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Roubaix but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Roubaix 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 Roubaix 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 Roubaix gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.