Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Staefa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,475 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,475

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Staefa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,475 in Staefa.

Lisbon $2,210
Staefa $3,475

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $5,304 in Staefa.

Lisbon $3,275
Staefa $5,304

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $7,132 in Staefa.

Lisbon $4,341
Staefa $7,132

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 36% less than in Staefa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Staefa 155% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$33.44 CHF 27.74

-50.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$122 CHF 101

-49.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$16.20 CHF 13.44

-29.88%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$6.25 CHF 5.19

-52.48%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$5.69 CHF 4.72

-59.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$5.10 CHF 4.23

-65.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$8.37 CHF 6.95

-59.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$8.60 CHF 7.13

-61.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.16 CHF 1.79

-46.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.28 CHF 2.72

-41.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.89 CHF 3.22

-61.18%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$8.36 CHF 6.93

-51.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$26.66 CHF 22.11

-51.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$26.56 CHF 22.03

-70.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$55.3 CHF 45.86

-67.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.49 CHF 2.89

-34.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.78 CHF 2.31

-37.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.58 CHF 2.97

-48.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.52 CHF 3.75

-42.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.47 CHF 2.05

-26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.19 CHF 1.82

-10.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.45 CHF 2.03

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.29 CHF 1.07

-44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$10.68 CHF 8.86

-38.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$14.15 CHF 11.74

-60.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.75 CHF 2.28

-50.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.21 CHF 2.66

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$4.36 CHF 3.61

-46.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$101 CHF 83.6

-55.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$7.54 CHF 6.25

-48.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$4.69 CHF 3.89

-77.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$86.9 CHF 72.1

-81.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.32 CHF 1.92

-5.17%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

-12.75%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

0.46%

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

$161 €145

$232 CHF 193

-30.57%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$32.86 CHF 27.26

-43.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$55.5 CHF 46.08

-41.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$91.1 CHF 75.6

-51.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$46.55 CHF 38.62

-58.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$21.56 CHF 17.88

-55.47%

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

$668 €600

$2,904 CHF 2,409

-77.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$42.2K CHF 35.0K

-58.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$139 CHF 115

-26.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$58.4 CHF 48.42

-23.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$145 CHF 121

-32.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$170 CHF 141

-27.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,760 CHF 1,460

-8.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,509 CHF 1,252

-21.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$2,982 CHF 2,474

-5.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$2,507 CHF 2,080

-19.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

-52.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$12.2K CHF 10.1K

-62.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

1.72

123.84%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Staefa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Staefa

$1.5K 43.4% 26.8% $319

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Staefa

$639 18.4% 135% $366

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Staefa

$493 14.2% 103% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Staefa

$321 9.2% 51% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Staefa

$230 6.6% 38.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Staefa

$134 3.9% 111% $71

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Staefa

$149 4.3% 136% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,760 in Staefa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $122 in Staefa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $639 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Staefa

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

11,567

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Staefa 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min 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 Staefa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Staefa differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $3,475 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $5,213 in Staefa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,760 in Staefa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,904 in Staefa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 134% higher in Staefa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,475 in Staefa, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Staefa. 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 Staefa 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 36% less than in Staefa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.