Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Stirling Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Stirling

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,268 in Lisbon versus $2,149 in Stirling.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,348 in Lisbon versus $3,318 in Stirling.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,429 in Lisbon versus $4,486 in Stirling.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 6% more expensive than in Stirling, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, Stirling 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 €15.12

$20.29 £15.00

-13.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 €55.6

$94.8 £70.1

-31.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.65 €10.04

$10.68 £7.89

9.08%

Cappuccino

$3.26 €2.81

$4.62 £3.41

-29.44%

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

$2.49 €2.15

$2.56 £1.89

-2.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.44

$1.88 £1.39

-11.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 €2.99

$6.19 £4.58

-43.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.08

$4.65 £3.44

-23.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.38 £1.02

-14.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.68

$1.34 £0.99

45.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.35

$1.91 £1.41

-18.32%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.46

$3.77 £2.79

6.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.27 €11.44

$8.52 £6.30

55.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.42 €7.26

$7.60 £5.61

10.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.23 €15.72

$6.57 £4.86

177.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.00

$2.89 £2.14

-19.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.49

$1.42 £1.05

21.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 €1.67

$2.87 £2.12

-32.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$2.77 £2.05

-4.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.64

$1.64 £1.22

15.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 €1.82

$1.58 £1.17

33.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.24

$1.08 £0.80

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.69

$1.50 £1.11

-46.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.01 €6.04

$20.72 £15.31

-66.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.92 €5.11

$11.43 £8.45

-48.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.18

$2.71 £2.00

-49.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.85

$3.12 £2.31

-31.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.05

$6.40 £4.73

-62.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.22 €39.85

$76.6 £56.6

-39.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 €3.61

$4.10 £3.03

2.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.95

$2.50 £1.85

-56.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.26 €14.88

$23.99 £17.73

-28.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €1.94

$1.96 £1.45

14.80%

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

$34.5K €29.7K

$38.5K £28.5K

-10.54%

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

$41.6K €35.9K

$40.7K £30.1K

2.28%

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

$171 €147

$291 £215

-41.21%

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

$19.01 €16.38

$15.50 £11.46

22.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 €29.55

$41.09 £30.37

-16.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.65 €42.80

$31.96 £23.62

55.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.51 €16.81

$16.96 £12.54

15.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 €8.71

$9.44 £6.97

6.99%

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

$699 €603

$1,835 £1,356

-61.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.3K

$23.7K £17.5K

-25.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €90.2

$99.7 £73.7

4.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.97 €41.35

$36.40 £26.90

31.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$95.6 £70.6

6.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €111

$54.6 £40.33

135.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 €1,432

$1,066 £788

55.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 €1,059

$941 £695

30.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,915 €2,513

$2,412 £1,783

20.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,023 €1,744

$1,747 £1,291

15.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,129 €7,007

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,635 €3,996

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,619 €1,396

$3,516 £2,599

-53.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.78

5.11

-26.03%

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

Last update for Lisbon: September 5, 2026

Last update for Stirling: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,661 in Lisbon and $1,066 in Stirling. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stirling pays 117% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Lisbon vs $95.0 in Stirling. Groceries flip the comparison at $281 vs $255, with Stirling cheaper for home cooking.

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 Stirling: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Stirling differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,268 vs $2,149 including rent). Stirling is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 117% lower in Stirling. 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: $1,661 in Lisbon versus $1,066 in Stirling. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $699 in Lisbon versus $1,835 in Stirling. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,149 in Stirling versus $2,268 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Stirling but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Stirling 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 Stirling 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 Stirling gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.