Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Stafford

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Stafford: $2,206 and $2,238 a month, rent and utilities included.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Stafford
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Stafford Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Stafford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,238

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Stafford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,238 in Stafford.

Lisbon $2,206
Stafford $2,238

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $3,350 in Stafford.

Lisbon $3,276
Stafford $3,350

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,461 in Stafford.

Lisbon $4,346
Stafford $4,461

Monthly costs are close between Lisbon and Stafford; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Stafford 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$21.50 £15.95

-21.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$75.0 £55.6

-18.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$10.54 £7.82

4.17%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$4.71 £3.50

-35.24%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.07 £1.53

10.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.75 £1.30

-4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$6.65 £4.93

-48.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$5.21 £3.87

-24.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.80 £1.33

-36.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.55 £1.15

21.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.10 £1.56

-28.57%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$3.56 £2.64

15.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$10.25 £7.60

26.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$9.07 £6.73

-11.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$12.79 £9.49

39.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.89 £2.14

-21.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.75 £1.30

-0.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$3.67 £2.72

-50.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.43 £2.55

-21.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.07 £1.54

-14.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.81 £1.34

7.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.18 £0.88

23.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.66 £1.23

-54.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$21.78 £16.15

-69.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$9.50 £7.04

-40.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$3.39 £2.51

-61.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$3.87 £2.87

-44.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

$4.73 £3.50

-51.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

$92.5 £68.6

-52.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$2.75 £2.04

44.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.36 £1.01

-52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$25.75 £19.10

-26.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$2.10 £1.56

8.57%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$38.4K £28.5K

-13.11%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$40.7K £30.2K

-5.33%

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

$158 €141

$294 £218

-46.18%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$20.19 £14.97

-13.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$42.52 £31.53

-26.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$40.64 £30.14

9.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

$19.57 £14.51

-3.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$15.81 £11.72

-39.41%

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

$674 €598

$1,250 £927

-46.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$7,719 £5,724

142.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$75.5 £56.0

35.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$47.03 £34.88

-2.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$84.7 £62.8

20.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$98.2 £72.8

24.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$1,149 £852

42.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$926 £687

28.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$1,596 £1,184

76.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$1,639 £1,215

23.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

$3,986 £2,956

96.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

$3,330 £2,470

41.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$2,998 £2,224

-43.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

5.37

-28.86%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Stafford: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Stafford

$926 41.4% 22% $261

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Stafford

$306 13.7% 11.3% $31

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Stafford

$319 14.3% 30.2% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Stafford

$357 15.9% 72.4% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Stafford

$137 6.1% 17.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Stafford

$72 3.2% 13.3% $8.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Stafford

$121 5.4% 100% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,149 in Stafford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stafford pays 78% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $75 in Stafford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $306 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Stafford

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

71,673

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Stafford 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Stafford

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 Stafford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 44% 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 $1,149 in Stafford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 52% less than in Stafford. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Stafford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Stafford are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Stafford on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.