Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rouen

For one person, living is cheaper in Rouen: $1,734 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Rouen
🇫🇷 France
$1,734
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rouen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,734 in Rouen.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Rouen $1,734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,616 in Rouen.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Rouen $2,616

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,498 in Rouen.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Rouen $3,498

Living in Lisbon is roughly 27% more expensive than in Rouen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Rouen 28% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Rouen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$16.75 €14.90
1.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$66.8 €59.4
-6.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$11.08 €9.86
-0.54%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$3.30 €2.93
-5.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$3.66 €3.26
-37.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$3.22 €2.86
-45.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$7.31 €6.50
-53.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$6.86 €6.10
-45.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Rouen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.48 €1.32
-20.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.07 €0.95
73.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$2.24 €1.99
-31.25%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$3.56 €3.17
14.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$18.50 €16.46
-30.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$8.88 €7.89
-11.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$26.98 €24.00
-34.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.55 €2.27
-11.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$2.91 €2.59
-39.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$2.45 €2.18
-22.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$3.13 €2.78
-18.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.05 €1.82
-9.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.49 €1.33
32.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.26 €1.12
15.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.43 €0.38
79.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$14.34 €12.76
-53.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$6.65 €5.92
-14.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$2.68 €2.39
-48.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$3.30 €2.94
-36.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Rouen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$1.97 €1.76
17.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
$48.79 €43.40
-8.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$8.80 €7.83
-55.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$1.20 €1.07
-12.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$33.89 €30.14
-49.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$2.15 €1.91
1.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$34.8K €31.0K
-3.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$35.6K €31.7K
7.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Rouen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$211 €187
-22.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$23.28 €20.71
-20.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$39.42 €35.06
-16.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Rouen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$42.34 €37.66
8.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
$16.90 €15.03
10.53%
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$14.36 €12.78
-32.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Rouen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$902 €802
-24.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$10.2K €9,040
73.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Rouen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$85.4 €75.9
21.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$96.0 €85.4
3.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$103 €91.5
21.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Rouen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$692 €616
129.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$567 €505
106.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$1,228 €1,092
132.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$909 €809
119.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$3,930 €3,496
98.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$2,366 €2,105
86.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Rouen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
$2,579 €2,294
-37.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
3.81
1.05%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rouen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Rouen
$567 51.5% $602
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Rouen
$338 23.7% $65
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Rouen
$285 15% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Rouen
$273 27% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Rouen
$128 * 24.1% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Rouen
$71 8.7% $5.7
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Rouen
$71 13.6% $8.6

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 $692 in Rouen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rouen pays 61% 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 $67.0 in Rouen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $338 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇫🇷 Rouen
🕒 Local time
16:15 4:15 PM
17:15 5:15 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
114,083
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Rouen 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Rouen

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 Rouen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Rouen?
Lisbon and Rouen differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,734 including rent). Rouen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Rouen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Rouen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $692 in Rouen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Rouen?
Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $902 in Rouen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $1,734 in Rouen versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rouen but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rouen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Rouen?
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.
Is Lisbon or Rouen safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Rouen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Rouen?
Expats usually find Rouen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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