Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Stafford Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Stafford

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,142 in Stafford.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,289 in Lisbon versus $3,230 in Stafford.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,369 in Lisbon versus $4,318 in Stafford.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 3% more expensive than in Stafford, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Stafford 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.71 €13.77

$20.20 £15.10

-22.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.9 €55.1

$75.6 £56.5

-16.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 €9.23

$11.02 £8.24

-4.45%

Cappuccino

$2.88 €2.53

$4.91 £3.67

-41.34%

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

$2.25 €1.98

$2.08 £1.56

8.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.37

$1.69 £1.27

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €2.97

$3.76 £2.81

-9.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 €3.42

$4.09 £3.06

-4.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.95

$1.69 £1.27

-36.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 €1.51

$1.72 £1.29

0.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.54

$1.89 £1.41

-6.88%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.77

$3.56 £2.66

-11.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.65

$12.22 £9.13

8.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 €6.90

$5.29 £3.95

48.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.84 €13.89

$9.79 £7.32

61.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 €2.11

$3.18 £2.38

-24.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.49

$1.39 £1.04

22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.78

$4.03 £3.01

-49.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.21

$4.21 £3.15

-40.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.63

$1.37 £1.03

35.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.81

$1.26 £0.94

63.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 €1.75

$1.31 £0.98

52.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.68

$1.45 £1.08

-46.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.83

$13.40 £10.02

-50.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €5.07

$9.49 £7.09

-39.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.21

$2.55 £1.90

-45.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.65

$3.59 £2.68

-15.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.04

$4.35 £3.25

-46.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.45 €39.85

$87.3 £65.2

-47.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 €3.57

$5.56 £4.15

-26.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 €0.70

$1.52 £1.13

-47.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.65 €16.35

$34.07 £25.47

-45.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.76

$1.90 £1.42

5.26%

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

$35.4K €31.0K

$39.1K £29.2K

-9.41%

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

$39.1K €34.3K

$40.8K £30.5K

-4.25%

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

$150 €132

$303 £227

-50.48%

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

$20.55 €18.02

$19.58 £14.64

4.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 €34.59

$43.67 £32.64

-9.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.06 €42.14

$43.89 £32.81

9.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.70 €16.39

$19.40 £14.50

-3.61%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 €8.16

$13.70 £10.24

-32.12%

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

$628 €551

$1,960 £1,465

-67.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.4K

$21.4K £16.0K

-23.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €89.0

$72.7 £54.3

39.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.55 €36.43

$41.78 £31.22

-0.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 €81.1

$86.7 £64.8

6.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €108

$33.38 £24.95

267.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 €1,427

$1,124 £840

44.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 €1,081

$941 £703

30.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,126 €2,741

$1,648 £1,232

89.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 €1,804

$1,694 £1,266

21.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,762 €6,806

$3,930 £2,937

97.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,386 €3,846

$3,400 £2,541

29.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,621 €1,421

$3,055 £2,283

-46.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.5

-30.73%

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

Last update for Lisbon: July 21, 2026

Last update for Stafford: July 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Lisbon and $1,124 in Stafford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stafford pays 88% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $76.0 in Stafford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $278 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

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

Lisbon and Stafford differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $2,142 including rent). Stafford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Stafford. 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 $1,124 in Stafford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $628 in Lisbon versus $1,960 in Stafford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,142 in Stafford versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Stafford but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Stafford 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 Stafford 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 Stafford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.