Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sydney, NS

For one person, living is cheaper in Sydney, NS: $1,614 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Sydney, NS
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Sydney, NS Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sydney, NS

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,614 in Sydney, NS.

Lisbon $2,202
Sydney, NS $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,535 in Sydney, NS.

Lisbon $3,274
Sydney, NS $2,535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,456 in Sydney, NS.

Lisbon $4,346
Sydney, NS $3,456

Living in Lisbon is roughly 36% more expensive than in Sydney, NS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sydney, NS 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$11.13 CA$15.74

53.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$62.3 CA$88.0

0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$7.16 CA$10.12

53.91%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.87 CA$4.06

8.71%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.33 CA$3.30

-2.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.07 CA$2.92

-15.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.15 CA$3.04

-45.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.56 CA$3.61

-27.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.41 CA$3.41

-36.10%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.32 CA$4.69

22.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$6.27 CA$8.87

105.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.23 CA$11.63

-4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.99 CA$18.36

35.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$7.01 CA$9.91

-67.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.16 CA$1.63

50.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.38 CA$1.95

85.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.84 CA$1.18

120.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.90 CA$2.68

3.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$6.30 CA$8.90

-76.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$17.78 CA$25.14

-62.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.18 CA$5.92

-49.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.08 CA$1.53

114.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$48.48 CA$68.5

-8.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.15 CA$5.87

-4.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.20 CA$1.70

82.50%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$25.7K CA$36.4K

31.22%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$19.1K CA$27.1K

99.83%

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

$164 €146

$86.3 CA$122

89.84%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$36.04 CA$51.0

-48.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$73.3 CA$104

-55.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$49.94 CA$70.6

-8.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$3.45 CA$4.88

441.45%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$7.04 CA$9.96

38.49%

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

$684 €608

$721 CA$1,020

-5.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$68.1 CA$96.3

52.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$67.2 CA$95.1

-31.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$99.7 CA$141

0.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$105 CA$148

18.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$893 CA$1,262

78.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$724 CA$1,024

61.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,753 CA$2,479

62.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,374 CA$1,943

45.02%

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

$2,527 CA$3,573

-36.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.8

-33.62%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sydney, NS: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Sydney, NS

$724 44.9% 38.1% $445

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Sydney, NS

$258 * 16% 5.6% $15

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Sydney, NS

$163 * 10.1% 34.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Sydney, NS

$196 12.1% 9.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Sydney, NS

$153 9.5% 9.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Sydney, NS

$64 4% 2% $1.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sydney, NS

$57 * 3.5% 9.5% $6

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $893 in Sydney, NS. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney, NS pays 58% 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 $62.0 in Sydney, NS. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $258, with Sydney, NS cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇦 Sydney, NS

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

01:57 1:57 AM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

30,960

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Sydney, NS 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Sydney, NS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sydney, NS differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,614 including rent). Sydney, NS is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Sydney, NS. 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 $893 in Sydney, NS. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $721 in Sydney, NS. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,614 in Sydney, NS versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sydney, NS but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sydney, NS 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 Sydney, NS 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 Sydney, NS gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.