Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Surfers Paradise

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
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Surfers Paradise Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Surfers Paradise

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,824 in Surfers Paradise.

Lisbon $2,223
Surfers Paradise $2,824

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $4,398 in Surfers Paradise.

Lisbon $3,271
Surfers Paradise $4,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $5,973 in Surfers Paradise.

Lisbon $4,319
Surfers Paradise $5,973

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Surfers Paradise 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$17.36 A$24.99

-4.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$105 A$151

-41.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.85 A$15.62

3.87%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.10 A$5.90

-25.37%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.81 A$4.05

-19.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.40 A$3.46

-27.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$7.86 A$11.31

-56.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$7.87 A$11.32

-56.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.66 A$2.40

-32.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.70 A$3.89

-31.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.41 A$3.46

-36.51%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.90 A$7.05

-19.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$8.68 A$12.49

47.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.09 A$13.07

-13.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$14.47 A$20.83

17.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.92 A$5.65

-42.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$3.08 A$4.43

-43.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.37 A$4.85

-45.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.84 A$6.97

-46.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.82 A$4.06

-34.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.44 A$3.50

-17.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.39 A$3.44

-39.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$2.07 A$2.98

-60.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$37.58 A$54.1

-82.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$14.26 A$20.52

-60.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$5.97 A$8.59

-78.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$5.12 A$7.36

-59.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.34 A$0.49

591.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.10 A$3.02

90.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.62 A$2.33

-32.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$35.24 A$50.7

-52.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.30 A$1.86

75.38%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$27.0K A$38.9K

24.59%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$28.3K A$40.8K

38.60%

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

$167 €149

$212 A$305

-21.09%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$29.92 A$43.06

-37.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$55.4 A$79.8

-40.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$66.1 A$95.1

-30.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$14.45 A$20.80

32.80%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$17.42 A$25.06

-43.51%

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

$677 €602

$1,944 A$2,798

-65.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$12.4K A$17.8K

36.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$83.1 A$120

21.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$55.1 A$79.2

-16.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$111 A$160

-9.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$121 A$175

1.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,912 A$2,752

-15.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,570 A$2,260

-23.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$3,770 A$5,425

-24.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$3,067 A$4,413

-35.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$5,895 A$8,483

28.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$4,954 A$7,128

-13.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$3,288 A$4,731

-51.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.81

-33.73%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.6% 31.2% $373

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Surfers Paradise

$380 13.5% 41% $111

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Surfers Paradise

$297 10.5% 22.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Surfers Paradise

$298 10.5% 35.7% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Surfers Paradise

$101 3.6% 53.6% $35

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4% 81.7% $51

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,912 in Surfers Paradise. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surfers Paradise pays 107% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $105 in Surfers Paradise for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $380 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

03:55 3:55 AM

9 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

19,668

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Surfers Paradise 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Surfers Paradise

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 Surfers Paradise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Surfers Paradise differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,824 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 107% lower in Surfers Paradise. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,912 in Surfers Paradise. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Surfers Paradise. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $2,824 in Surfers Paradise – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Surfers Paradise. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 Surfers Paradise 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Surfers Paradise. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.