Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sydney

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,267 in Sydney.

Lisbon $2,210
Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,847 in Sydney.

Lisbon $3,275
Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $6,428 in Sydney.

Lisbon $4,341
Sydney $6,428

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 32% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sydney 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$17.50 A$24.87

-4.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$90.4 A$128

-31.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.96 A$16.99

-5.02%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.00 A$5.68

-25.75%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.81 A$4.00

-18.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.22 A$3.16

-21.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$8.13 A$11.56

-58.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.20 A$10.23

-54.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.70 A$2.42

-31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.94 A$4.17

-35.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.51 A$3.57

-39.84%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$5.66 A$8.04

-28.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.22 A$17.36

5.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$9.31 A$13.24

-16.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$16.87 A$23.97

5.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.90 A$5.54

-41.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$3.22 A$4.58

-46.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.43 A$4.88

-45.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.33 A$6.16

-40.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.35 A$4.75

-45.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.40 A$3.41

-17.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.34 A$3.32

-37.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.16 A$1.65

-37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$45.47 A$64.6

-85.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$13.99 A$19.88

-59.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$4.11 A$5.84

-66.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$4.18 A$5.94

-48.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.12 A$4.44

-25.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$152 A$216

-70.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.46 A$4.92

11.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.56 A$2.22

-31.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$39.54 A$56.2

-58.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.45 A$2.05

51.72%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$29.9K A$42.5K

14.36%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$27.5K A$39.1K

40.72%

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

$161 €145

$251 A$356

-35.73%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$27.76 A$39.44

-33.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$58.0 A$82.4

-43.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$70.7 A$100

-36.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$23.25 A$33.04

-17.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$17.83 A$25.33

-46.16%

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

$668 €600

$2,358 A$3,351

-71.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$27.2K A$38.6K

-35.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$80.5 A$114

26.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$69.3 A$98.5

-35.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$111 A$157

-11.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$127 A$181

-2.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$2,566 A$3,646

-37.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,792 A$2,547

-33.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$5,202 A$7,391

-45.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$3,156 A$4,485

-36.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$13.4K A$19.0K

-41.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$8,727 A$12.4K

-47.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$4,118 A$5,851

-61.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.92

-34.97%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 50.6% $602

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 40.3% $110

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 23.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 58.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 5.2% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 66.8% $43

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 178% $112

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $90 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $382 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

10:45 10:45 AM

11 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sydney 18,180 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

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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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $3,267 in Sydney, so Lisbon is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% 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 $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,358 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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 Sydney are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.