Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saint Helier

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,362 in Saint Helier, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
163

Cost of Living Index in Saint Helier
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Saint Helier Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Saint Helier

🇯🇪 Jersey

$3,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Saint Helier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,362 in Saint Helier.

Lisbon $2,223
Saint Helier $3,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $4,954 in Saint Helier.

Lisbon $3,271
Saint Helier $4,954

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $6,547 in Saint Helier.

Lisbon $4,319
Saint Helier $6,547

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 34% less than in Saint Helier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Saint Helier 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$39.19 JEP 29.43

-57.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$119 JEP 89.3

-48.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.44 JEP 7.84

7.95%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.85 JEP 3.64

-36.91%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.35 JEP 2.51

-32.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.55 JEP 1.91

-32.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$7.77 JEP 5.84

-56.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.35 JEP 4.77

-46.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.21 JEP 1.66

-49.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.70 JEP 2.03

-31.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.64 JEP 2.73

-57.97%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$6.38 JEP 4.79

-37.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.25 JEP 5.44

76.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$11.69 JEP 8.78

-32.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$18.34 JEP 13.77

-7.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.26 JEP 3.20

-46.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$3.41 JEP 2.56

-48.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.07 JEP 3.05

-54.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.36 JEP 3.28

-41.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.12 JEP 2.35

-40.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.16 JEP 2.37

-36.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.88 JEP 1.41

-23.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$2.44 JEP 1.84

-66.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$19.79 JEP 14.87

-66.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.74 JEP 8.07

-47.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$4.75 JEP 3.57

-73.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$7.86 JEP 5.91

-73.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.36 JEP 2.53

-30.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$69.4 JEP 52.1

-36.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.29 JEP 3.97

-24.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.51 JEP 1.88

-56.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$53.2 JEP 39.98

-68.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.05 JEP 1.54

11.22%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$26.9K JEP 20.2K

25.04%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$36.2K JEP 27.2K

8.62%

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

$167 €149

$315 JEP 236

-46.77%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$44.73 JEP 33.59

-57.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$72.8 JEP 54.7

-54.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$75.9 JEP 57.0

-39.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$28.43 JEP 21.35

-32.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$19.51 JEP 14.65

-49.56%

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

$677 €602

$2,670 JEP 2,006

-74.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$11.8K JEP 8,868

43.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$103 JEP 77.5

-1.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$73.7 JEP 55.3

-37.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$117 JEP 88.1

-14.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$209 JEP 157

-41.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,846 JEP 1,386

-12.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,592 JEP 1,195

-24.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$3,297 JEP 2,476

-13.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,549 JEP 1,914

-21.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$11.4K JEP 8,558

-33.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$10.4K JEP 7,806

-58.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$4,609 JEP 3,461

-65.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.08

-5.64%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Saint Helier: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Saint Helier

$1.6K 47.4% 33% $395

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Saint Helier

$418 12.4% 55% $148

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Saint Helier

$478 14.2% 97.4% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Saint Helier

$432 12.9% 97% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Saint Helier

$226 6.7% 36.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Saint Helier

$115 3.4% 74.9% $49

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Saint Helier

$101 3% 59.7% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,846 in Saint Helier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Helier pays 190% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $119 in Saint Helier for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $418 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇯🇪 Saint Helier

🕒 Local time

01:19 1:19 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

32,522 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Jersey Pound JEP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 JEP = 1.33 USD

1 JEP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Saint Helier 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Saint Helier

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 Saint Helier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Saint Helier differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $3,362 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 190% lower in Saint Helier. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,846 in Saint Helier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $2,670 in Saint Helier. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Saint Helier. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,362 in Saint Helier, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Saint Helier. 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 Saint Helier 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 51% less than in Saint Helier. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.