Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Surrey, United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,025 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
148

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Surrey

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Surrey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,025 in Surrey.

Lisbon $2,210
Surrey $3,025

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,456 in Surrey.

Lisbon $3,275
Surrey $4,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,887 in Surrey.

Lisbon $4,341
Surrey $5,887

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 27% less than in Surrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Surrey 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$23.47 £17.50

-29.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$59.5 £44.33

3.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$9.62 £7.17

18.09%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$4.77 £3.55

-37.74%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$2.26 £1.68

1.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.48 £1.10

17.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$6.54 £4.88

-48.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$6.15 £4.59

-46.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.31 £0.98

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.10 £1.57

-9.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.60 £1.19

-5.63%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$4.15 £3.10

-3.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$8.62 £6.43

50.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$9.33 £6.96

-16.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$16.52 £12.32

7.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.19 £2.38

-27.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.48 £1.11

16.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.03 £1.51

-8.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$3.26 £2.43

-20.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.38 £1.03

31.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.79 £1.33

10.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.40 £1.05

5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.17 £0.87

-38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$23.32 £17.38

-71.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$10.47 £7.80

-46.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.22 £1.66

-38.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.50 £1.86

-14.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$3.90 £2.90

-40.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$5.22 £3.89

-26.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.93 £1.44

13.99%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$38.1K £28.4K

-10.34%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$41.0K £30.5K

-5.48%

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

$161 €144

$263 £196

-38.63%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$13.29 £9.91

38.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$35.87 £26.74

-8.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$52.7 £39.32

-15.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

$18.44 £13.75

3.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$13.07 £9.75

-26.55%

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

$668 €596

$2,137 £1,594

-68.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$29.9K £22.3K

-41.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$52.7 £39.32

93.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$40.02 £29.84

11.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$87.4 £65.1

12.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$93.0 £69.4

32.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$1,945 £1,450

-17.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$1,864 £1,390

-36.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$3,308 £2,466

-14.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$3,400 £2,535

-40.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$7,255 £5,409

-36.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$4,565 £3,404

-65.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.4

-28.70%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Surrey: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Surrey

$1.9K 61.6% 56.6% $674

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Surrey

$293 9.7% 7.6% $21

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Surrey

$334 11% 37.6% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Surrey

$312 10.3% 46.9% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Surrey

$123 4.1% 25.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Surrey

$79 2.6% 23.8% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Surrey

$21 * 0.7% 67.1% $42

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 $1,945 in Surrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surrey pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $59 in Surrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $293, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Surrey

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

585

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Surrey 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Surrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $3,025 in Surrey, so Lisbon is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 65% 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 $1,945 in Surrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Surrey. 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 $3,025 in Surrey – Lisbon is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,025 in Surrey, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Surrey. 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 Surrey are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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