Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Scarborough Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Scarborough

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,038 in Scarborough.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,311 in Lisbon versus $2,899 in Scarborough.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,411 in Lisbon versus $3,759 in Scarborough.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 8% more expensive than Scarborough, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Scarborough 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 €13.70

$14.51 £10.81

9.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 €55.8

$69.7 £51.9

-7.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 €9.05

$9.90 £7.38

6.16%

Cappuccino

$2.87 €2.47

$4.43 £3.30

-35.21%

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

$2.24 €1.93

$2.15 £1.60

4.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.29

$0.99 £0.74

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.49 €3.01

$5.67 £4.23

-38.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.34

$4.80 £3.57

-19.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €0.98

$1.47 £1.09

-22.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.51

$1.63 £1.22

7.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.51

$2.51 £1.87

-29.88%

Eggs

$3.22 €2.77

$3.62 £2.70

-11.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 €11.61

$9.12 £6.79

47.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €6.81

$8.26 £6.16

-4.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.87 €13.67

$9.70 £7.23

63.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €1.99

$3.39 £2.52

-31.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.46

$1.44 £1.07

18.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 €1.73

$1.43 £1.07

40.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.12

$2.21 £1.65

11.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.59

$1.14 £0.85

61.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.72

$1.57 £1.17

27.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 €1.66

$0.99 £0.74

94.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.68

$1.74 £1.30

-54.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.69

$11.49 £8.56

-42.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €4.93

$9.63 £7.18

-40.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.18

$2.80 £2.09

-51.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.56

$2.66 £1.98

11.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 €2.04

$3.08 £2.30

-23.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.56 €39.22

$93.8 £69.8

-51.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 €3.69

$4.48 £3.34

-4.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.70

$1.14 £0.85

-28.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.30 €15.76

$16.07 £11.98

13.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.78

$1.88 £1.40

9.57%

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

$34.3K €29.5K

$36.5K £27.2K

-6.21%

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

$39.3K €33.8K

$38.6K £28.8K

1.73%

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

$148 €127

$272 £203

-45.61%

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

$20.52 €17.67

$15.99 £11.91

28.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.61 €34.10

$34.64 £25.81

14.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.85 €41.19

$33.50 £24.95

42.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.92 €16.29

$12.90 £9.61

46.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.18 €7.91

$11.00 £8.19

-16.55%

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

$614 €529

$1,704 £1,269

-63.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K €13.8K

$18.2K £13.6K

-12.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €90.1

$69.5 £51.8

50.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 €36.21

$37.18 £27.70

13.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 €80.9

$109 £81.2

-13.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €103

$87.3 £65.0

37.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 €1,401

$872 £650

86.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 €1,081

$856 £638

46.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,030 €2,609

$1,578 £1,176

91.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,020 €1,739

$1,200 £894

68.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,800 €6,715

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,273 €3,678

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,603 €1,380

$2,075 £1,546

-22.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.45

-30.09%

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

Last update for Lisbon: June 1, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Lisbon and $872 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scarborough pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65.0 in Lisbon vs $70.0 in Scarborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $266, with Scarborough cheaper for home cooking.

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Scarborough differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $2,038 including rent). Scarborough is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Scarborough earns 29% less. 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: $1,628 in Lisbon versus $872 in Scarborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $614 in Lisbon versus $1,704 in Scarborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,038 in Scarborough versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Scarborough but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Scarborough 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 Scarborough 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 Scarborough gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.