Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sarnia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarnia: $2,026 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Sarnia
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Sarnia Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Sarnia

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sarnia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,026 in Sarnia.

Lisbon $2,206
Sarnia $2,026

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,729 in Sarnia.

Lisbon $3,276
Sarnia $2,729

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,433 in Sarnia.

Lisbon $4,346
Sarnia $3,433

Living in Lisbon is roughly 9% more expensive than in Sarnia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Sarnia 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.02

$12.84 CA$17.92

31.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$39.22 CA$54.8

55.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$10.55 CA$14.73

4.08%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$3.13 CA$4.38

-2.56%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.85 CA$2.58

23.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.29 CA$1.80

30.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$4.35 CA$6.07

-20.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$5.65 CA$7.89

-30.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.32 CA$1.84

-12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.40 CA$3.36

-21.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.48 CA$3.46

-39.52%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$3.00 CA$4.19

37.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.59

$11.20 CA$15.64

16.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.17

$11.53 CA$16.09

-30.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.94

$14.25 CA$19.89

25.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.30 CA$4.60

-31.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.24 CA$1.73

40.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$3.19 CA$4.46

-42.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.34 CA$4.66

-19.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.36 CA$1.89

30.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.91 CA$2.67

1.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.76 CA$2.46

-17.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.23 CA$1.72

-38.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$12.42 CA$17.34

-46.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$10.11 CA$14.12

-44.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.54 CA$3.54

-49.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.70 CA$3.77

-20.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.33 CA$3.26

-1.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

$62.2 CA$86.8

-29.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$3.31 CA$4.62

20.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.81 CA$2.53

-64.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

$29.07 CA$40.58

-34.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.27 CA$1.77

79.53%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$26.2K CA$36.6K

27.35%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$21.3K CA$29.7K

81.15%

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

$158 €141

$145 CA$203

8.95%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$27.37 CA$38.20

-35.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.78

$42.99 CA$60.0

-27.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.77

$20.88 CA$29.14

113.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

$17.70 CA$24.71

7.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$10.79 CA$15.06

-11.21%

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

$674 €600

$349 CA$488

92.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$15.7K CA$21.9K

19.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$58.9 CA$82.2

73.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

$33.08 CA$46.17

38.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$74.8 CA$104

36.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$77.3 CA$108

57.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$1,397 CA$1,949

17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

$1,042 CA$1,455

13.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,516

$2,086 CA$2,912

35.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,798

$1,316 CA$1,837

53.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

$3,072 CA$4,288

-45.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.73

-19.24%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sarnia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sarnia

$1K 51.4% 12.2% $145

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Sarnia

$315 15.5% 14.6% $40

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Sarnia

$218 10.7% 11.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Sarnia

$216 10.6% 4.2% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Sarnia

$110 5.4% 34.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sarnia

$42 2.1% 33.5% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Sarnia

$84 4.1% 38.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,397 in Sarnia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarnia pays 82% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $39 in Sarnia. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $315, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇦 Sarnia

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

18:16 6:16 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

71,594

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Sarnia 5,980 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Sarnia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,026 in Sarnia, so Sarnia is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,397 in Sarnia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $349 in Sarnia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Sarnia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.