Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Telford

For one person, living is cheaper in Telford: $2,057 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Telford
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Telford Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Telford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Telford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,057 in Telford.

Lisbon $2,202
Telford $2,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,957 in Telford.

Lisbon $3,274
Telford $2,957

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,857 in Telford.

Lisbon $4,346
Telford $3,857

Living in Lisbon is roughly 7% more expensive than in Telford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Telford 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$20.11 £15.09

-15.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$73.8 £55.4

-15.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.75 £7.32

13.03%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.21 £3.16

-25.89%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.70 £2.03

-15.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.07 £0.80

62.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.98 £4.48

-42.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.64 £4.98

-43.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.60 £1.20

-26.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.02 £0.77

82.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.33 £1.00

15.79%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.28 £2.46

23.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$7.28 £5.46

77.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.30 £6.98

-15.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$11.77 £8.83

49.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.43 £1.82

-7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.81 £1.36

-3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.50 £1.88

-24.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.73 £2.05

-6.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.86 £1.40

-0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.03 £1.52

-2.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.97 £0.72

49.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.35 £1.01

-42.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$19.87 £14.91

-66.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.14 £7.60

-44.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$5.71 £4.29

-76.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$5.33 £4.00

-60.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$4.08 £3.06

-43.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$152 £114

-70.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$6.99 £5.24

-43.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$3.97 £2.98

-73.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.86 £1.39

17.74%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$40.1K £30.1K

-15.80%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$44.3K £33.3K

-13.70%

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

$164 €146

$280 £210

-41.48%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$21.76 £16.33

-15.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$35.29 £26.48

-6.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$47.31 £35.49

-3.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$17.21 £12.91

-43.35%

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

$684 €608

$1,570 £1,178

-56.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$23.5K £17.6K

-24.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$53.1 £39.84

95.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$25.38 £19.04

82.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$99.3 £74.5

0.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$135 £101

-7.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$845 £634

88.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$720 £540

62.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,243 £932

129.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,011 £758

97.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,015 £3,012

94.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$8,592 £6,446

-48.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,283 £2,463

-51.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.3

-27.36%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Telford: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Telford

$720 35% 38.4% $449

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Telford

$284 13.8% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Telford

$299 14.5% 20.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Telford

$337 16.4% 56.6% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Telford

$141 6.8% 16.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Telford

$82 4% 25% $16

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Telford

$195 9.5% 210% $132

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $845 in Telford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Telford pays 105% 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 $74.0 in Telford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $284 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Telford

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

180,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Telford 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Telford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Telford differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,057 including rent). Telford is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 105% lower in Telford. 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 $845 in Telford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $1,570 in Telford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,057 in Telford versus $2,202 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 7% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.