Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Silves

For one person, living is cheaper in Silves: $1,629 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Silves
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Silves Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Silves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Silves

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,629 in Silves.

Lisbon $2,223
Silves $1,629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,393 in Silves.

Lisbon $3,271
Silves $2,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,157 in Silves.

Lisbon $4,319
Silves $3,157

Living in Lisbon is roughly 36% more expensive than in Silves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Silves 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.54 €12.04

21.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$47.10 €41.90

30.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$9.30 €8.28

21.18%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.92 €1.71

59.38%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.93 €1.72

17.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.45 €1.29

19.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.82 €2.51

20.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.42 €3.04

-0.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.10 €0.98

1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.47 €1.30

26.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.57 €1.40

-2.55%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.39 €3.02

16.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$11.90 €10.58

7.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$7.31 €6.50

8.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$14.47 €12.87

17.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.25 €2.00

0.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.34 €1.19

30.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.77 €1.57

4.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.57 €2.29

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.82 €1.62

2.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.91 €1.70

5.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.50 €1.34

-4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.79 €0.70

3.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.98 €5.32

9.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$4.48 €3.98

25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.22 €1.09

4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.10 €1.87

-1.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.28 €2.03

3.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$41.98 €37.35

5.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.80 €3.38

5.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.15 €1.03

-5.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$18.40 €16.36

-9.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.07 €1.84

10.14%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$33.9K €30.2K

-0.71%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$34.0K €30.3K

15.53%

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

$167 €149

$120 €106

39.94%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$19.84 €17.65

-5.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$36.39 €32.36

-9.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$40.12 €35.69

14.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$14.69 €13.07

30.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$8.33 €7.41

18.13%

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

$677 €602

$419 €372

61.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$11.3K €10.0K

50.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$78.9 €70.2

28.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$36.89 €32.81

24.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$84.4 €75.1

18.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$105 €93.0

17.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$944 €840

70.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$761 €676

57.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,546 €1,375

85.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,194 €1,062

66.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,242 €2,884

133.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,241 €1,993

92.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$948 €843

67.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.67

4.90%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Silves: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Silves

$761 46.7% 36.5% $437

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Silves

$244 15% 9.3% $25

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Silves

$194 11.9% 20% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Silves

$176 10.8% 19.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Silves

$137 8.4% 17.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Silves

$57 3.5% 13.6% $8.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Silves

$61 3.7% 3.7% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $944 in Silves. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 67% 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 $47.00 in Silves for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $244 per month, with Silves cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Silves

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

37,776

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Silves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Silves differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,629 including rent). Silves is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 67% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $944 in Silves. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $419 in Silves. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,629 in Silves versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Silves but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Silves 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 Silves 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 Silves gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.