Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sunderland

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunderland: $1,845 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Sunderland
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Sunderland Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Sunderland

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sunderland

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,845 in Sunderland.

Lisbon $2,202
Sunderland $1,845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,755 in Sunderland.

Lisbon $3,274
Sunderland $2,755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,665 in Sunderland.

Lisbon $4,346
Sunderland $3,665

Living in Lisbon is roughly 19% more expensive than in Sunderland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sunderland 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$18.54 £13.91

-8.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$70.2 £52.7

-11.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$8.87 £6.66

24.24%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.02 £3.77

-37.85%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.32 £1.74

-2.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.96 £1.47

-11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.63 £3.48

-26.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.30 £3.23

-13.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.44 £1.08

-18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.37 £1.03

35.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.40 £1.80

-35.83%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.52 £2.64

15.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.72 £7.29

32.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.99 £6.74

-12.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.35 £10.76

22.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.26 £2.44

-30.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.85 £1.39

-5.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.92 £2.19

-35.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.79 £2.84

-32.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.79 £1.34

3.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.48 £1.11

33.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.20 £0.90

20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.50 £1.13

-48.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$22.99 £17.25

-70.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.19 £7.65

-44.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.57 £2.68

-61.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.49 £2.62

-39.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.08 £1.56

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$119 £89.6

-62.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.40 £3.30

-10.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.55 £1.16

-32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$28.14 £21.11

-39.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.09 £1.57

4.78%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$38.3K £28.8K

-11.89%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$40.5K £30.4K

-5.50%

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

$164 €146

$248 £186

-33.94%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$16.93 £12.70

9.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$42.31 £31.74

-22.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$40.70 £30.53

12.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$12.01 £9.01

55.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$10.66 £8.00

-8.54%

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

$684 €608

$819 £614

-16.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$17.6K £13.2K

0.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$91.1 £68.4

13.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$47.14 £35.37

-1.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$109 £81.4

-8.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$94.7 £71.1

31.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$792 £594

100.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$595 £446

96.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,356 £1,017

110.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$957 £718

108.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,663 £2,748

-56.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.15

-25.24%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sunderland: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Sunderland

$595 32.2% 49.1% $574

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Sunderland

$303 16.4% 11.1% $30

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Sunderland

$284 15.4% 14.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Sunderland

$307 16.7% 42.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Sunderland

$154 8.3% 8.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Sunderland

$62 3.4% 5.1% $3.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sunderland

$140 7.6% 122% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $792 in Sunderland. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sunderland pays 129% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $70.0 in Sunderland for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $303 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Sunderland

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

275,300

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sunderland 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Sunderland

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 Sunderland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sunderland differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,845 including rent). Sunderland is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 129% lower in Sunderland. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $792 in Sunderland. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $819 in Sunderland. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,845 in Sunderland versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sunderland but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sunderland 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 Sunderland 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 Sunderland gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.