Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Telford Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Telford

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,258 in Lisbon versus $1,956 in Telford.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,328 in Lisbon versus $2,855 in Telford.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,397 in Lisbon versus $3,755 in Telford.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 15% more expensive than Telford, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 68% above, Telford 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.82 €13.46

$15.12 £11.20

4.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 €54.8

$75.8 £56.2

-15.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 €8.82

$9.89 £7.33

4.85%

Cappuccino

$2.89 €2.46

$4.19 £3.10

-31.03%

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

$2.23 €1.90

$2.81 £2.09

-20.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.32

$1.08 £0.80

43.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €2.88

$7.59 £5.62

-55.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 €3.32

$7.61 £5.64

-48.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €0.96

$1.70 £1.26

-34.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 €1.53

$1.01 £0.75

78.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.49

$1.37 £1.01

27.74%

Eggs

$3.17 €2.70

$3.46 £2.56

-8.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.50 €11.49

$7.50 £5.56

80.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 €6.63

$9.51 £7.05

-18.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.65 €13.32

$11.77 £8.72

32.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €1.94

$2.50 £1.86

-8.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 €1.46

$3.00 £2.22

-43.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 €1.65

$2.55 £1.89

-24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.15

$2.74 £2.03

-8.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.52

$1.85 £1.37

-3.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.74

$2.05 £1.52

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 €1.65

$1.03 £0.76

88.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.69

$1.33 £0.99

-39.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.66

$20.07 £14.87

-66.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.79 €4.92

$9.02 £6.68

-35.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.14

$5.11 £3.79

-73.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 €2.47

$3.10 £2.30

-6.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.00

$3.45 £2.56

-31.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.70 €38.89

$134 £99.1

-65.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.20 €3.58

$7.12 £5.28

-41.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.69

$1.20 £0.89

-32.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.70 €15.91

$23.52 £17.43

-20.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.78

$1.90 £1.41

10.00%

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

$34.6K €29.5K

$33.5K £24.8K

3.34%

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

$39.7K €33.7K

$41.1K £30.5K

-3.56%

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

$146 €124

$320 £237

-54.38%

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

$20.84 €17.73

$21.91 £16.24

-4.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.78 €33.85

$36.22 £26.84

9.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.58 €41.35

$48.18 £35.70

0.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.85 €16.04

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €7.72

$16.07 £11.91

-43.56%

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

$618 €526

$1,600 £1,186

-61.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K €13.8K

$34.0K £25.2K

-52.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €89.0

$49.51 £36.69

111.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.54 €34.50

$31.16 £23.09

30.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 €79.8

$88.1 £65.3

6.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €104

$100.0 £74.1

22.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 €1,365

$863 £639

85.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 €1,073

$672 £498

87.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 €2,608

$1,302 £965

135.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,709

$1,070 £793

87.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,702 €6,555

$4,055 £3,004

89.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,367 €3,716

$8,562 £6,344

-49.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,638 €1,394

$2,789 £2,067

-41.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

6.1

-37.54%

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

Last update for Lisbon: April 13, 2026

Last update for Telford: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,604 in Lisbon and $863 in Telford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Telford pays 70% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64 in Lisbon vs $76 in Telford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $286 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

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 Telford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Telford differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,258 vs $1,956 including rent). Telford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Telford earns 70% less. 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: $1,604 in Lisbon versus $863 in Telford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $618 in Lisbon versus $1,600 in Telford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,956 in Telford versus $2,258 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Telford but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Telford 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 Telford 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 Telford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.