Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sterling

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,814 in Sterling, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Sterling
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Sterling Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sterling

🇺🇸 United States

$2,814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sterling

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,814 in Sterling.

Lisbon $2,210
Sterling $2,814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,314 in Sterling.

Lisbon $3,275
Sterling $4,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,814 in Sterling.

Lisbon $4,341
Sterling $5,814

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 21% less than in Sterling, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sterling 107% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$18.81 $18.81

-11.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$75.5 $75.5

-18.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$11.94 $11.94

-4.86%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$6.07 $6.07

-51.07%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.97 $2.97

-22.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.52 $2.52

-30.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.47 $5.47

-37.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$7.83 $7.83

-57.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.10 $1.10

5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$4.06 $4.06

-52.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$5.18 $5.18

-70.85%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.48 $5.48

-26.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$17.09 $17.09

-24.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$14.76 $14.76

-47.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$18.69 $18.69

-4.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.57 $5.57

-58.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.28 $2.28

-24.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.98 $4.98

-62.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.74 $5.74

-54.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.95 $2.95

-38.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.92 $3.92

-49.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.36 $2.36

-37.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.76 $2.76

-73.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$10.03 $10.03

-34.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$13.88 $13.88

-59.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.24 $2.24

-39.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$5.76 $5.76

-62.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$5.08 $5.08

-54.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.06 $3.06

25.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.49 $1.49

-28.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$22.06 $22.06

-25.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.04 $1.04

111.54%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$34.9K $34.9K

-2.00%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$25.5K $25.5K

51.98%

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

$161 €144

$156 $156

3.37%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$50.3 $50.3

-63.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$78.1 $78.1

-58.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$29.14 $29.14

52.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$18.21 $18.21

-47.28%

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

$668 €598

$1,890 $1,890

-64.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$32.0K $32.0K

-44.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$53.5 $53.5

90.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$45.89 $45.89

-3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$86.8 $86.8

13.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$105 $105

17.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,245 $1,245

29.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,503 $1,503

-20.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$2,010 $2,010

39.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$2,860 $2,860

-29.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$3,292 $3,292

138.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$2,321 $2,321

97.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,746 $3,746

-57.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.63

-41.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sterling: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sterling

$1.5K 53.4% 26.3% $313

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sterling

$475 16.9% 74.5% $203

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sterling

$324 11.5% 33.6% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sterling

$284 10.1% 33.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sterling

$131 4.7% 21% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sterling

$66 2.3% 2.9% $1.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sterling

$31 * 1.1% 51.2% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,245 in Sterling. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sterling pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $75 in Sterling for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $475 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Sterling

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

14,782

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Sterling 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Sterling: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,814 in Sterling, so Lisbon is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,245 in Sterling. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Sterling. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,814 in Sterling – Lisbon is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Sterling are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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