Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Swords

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,598 in Swords, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Swords

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,598 in Swords.

Lisbon $2,210
Swords $2,598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,804 in Swords.

Lisbon $3,275
Swords $3,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,010 in Swords.

Lisbon $4,341
Swords $5,010

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 15% less than in Swords, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Swords 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$22.16 €19.91

-24.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$98.6 €88.6

-37.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.20 €11.86

-13.94%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.93 €4.43

-39.76%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.98 €2.68

-23.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.16 €1.94

-19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$8.03 €7.21

-57.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.74 €6.05

-50.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.58 €1.42

-26.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.35 €2.11

-18.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.03 €1.83

-25.62%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.24 €3.81

-5.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$9.89 €8.89

30.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$10.86 €9.76

-28.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$13.29 €11.94

33.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.75 €2.47

-16.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.27 €2.04

-23.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.79 €2.51

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.17 €3.75

-37.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.87 €1.68

-2.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.47 €1.33

34.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.30 €1.16

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.90 €1.70

-62.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$20.52 €18.44

-67.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$13.39 €12.03

-58.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.35 €3.01

-59.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.45 €3.10

-37.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.26 €2.03

3.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.00 €4.49

-23.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.47 €1.32

-27.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$37.35 €33.55

-55.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.16 €1.94

1.85%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$38.6K €34.7K

-11.38%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$38.0K €34.1K

1.92%

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

$161 €145

$246 €221

-34.55%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$18.68 €16.78

-1.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$51.2 €45.97

-36.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$40.58 €36.46

9.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$13.43 €12.07

-28.52%

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

$668 €600

$1,010 €907

-33.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,183 €4,656

239.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$100 €90.0

1.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$48.06 €43.18

-7.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$108 €97.1

-8.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$113 €101

9.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,556 €1,398

3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,342 €1,206

-11.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$2,584 €2,322

8.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$2,165 €1,945

-7.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$4,721 €4,242

66.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$3,447 €3,097

32.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.68

4.62%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Swords: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Swords

$1.3K 51.7% 12.8% $152

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Swords

$335 12.9% 22.8% $62

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Swords

$350 13.5% 44.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Swords

$316 12.2% 48.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Swords

$166 6.4% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Swords

$67 2.6% 5.8% $3.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Swords

$21 * 0.8% 66.2% $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 $1,556 in Swords. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $99 in Swords for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $335 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇪 Swords

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

40,776

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Swords 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Swords

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 Swords: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Swords differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $2,598 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $3,897 in Swords to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,556 in Swords. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Swords. 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 $2,598 in Swords – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Swords are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.