Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Thames: $1,966 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
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Thames Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Thames

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,966 in Thames.

Lisbon $2,223
Thames $1,966

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,999 in Thames.

Lisbon $3,271
Thames $2,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,032 in Thames.

Lisbon $4,319
Thames $4,032

Living in Lisbon is roughly 13% more expensive than in Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Thames 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.93 NZ$24.63

18.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$68.4 NZ$121

-10.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$8.89 NZ$15.72

26.77%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.42 NZ$6.06

-10.53%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.02 NZ$3.57

11.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.74 NZ$3.08

-0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$6.88 NZ$12.16

-50.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.73 NZ$11.90

-49.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-40.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.22 NZ$3.93

-16.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.79 NZ$3.16

-14.53%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$6.20 NZ$10.97

-36.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$8.79 NZ$15.55

45.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.68 NZ$17.11

-18.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$16.82 NZ$29.74

0.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.80 NZ$4.95

-18.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.16 NZ$3.82

-18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.91 NZ$5.14

-36.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$5.75 NZ$10.17

-55.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-12.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.52 NZ$2.69

32.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.98 NZ$3.50

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.04 NZ$1.84

-21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$26.57 NZ$46.99

-75.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.25 NZ$18.12

-45.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.84 NZ$5.02

-54.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.38 NZ$5.98

-38.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.45 NZ$2.56

62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$75.4 NZ$133

-41.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.30 NZ$4.06

73.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-43.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$32.20 NZ$56.9

-48.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.87 NZ$3.31

21.93%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

33.90%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

81.14%

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

$167 €149

$183 NZ$324

-8.71%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$26.20 NZ$46.33

-28.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$50.7 NZ$89.6

-34.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$41.84 NZ$74.0

9.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$13.10 NZ$23.17

-24.89%

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

$677 €602

$1,135 NZ$2,007

-40.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

-11.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$79.2 NZ$140

27.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$39.93 NZ$70.6

14.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$92.3 NZ$163

8.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$111 NZ$197

10.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$930 NZ$1,645

73.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$821 NZ$1,451

45.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,484 NZ$2,624

92.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,486 NZ$2,629

33.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,552 NZ$8,050

66.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,773 NZ$6,673

14.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.37

-28.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Thames: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Thames

$821 41.7% 31.4% $376

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Thames

$337 17.1% 25% $67

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Thames

$242 12.3% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Thames

$260 13.2% 18.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Thames

$145 7.4% 12.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Thames

$68 3.5% 3.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Thames

$93 4.7% 47.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $930 in Thames. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $68.0 in Thames for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $337 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇿 Thames

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

00:05 12:05 AM

12 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

7,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Thames 19,570 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Thames

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 Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Thames differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,966 including rent). Thames is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $2,949 in Thames 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $930 in Thames. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $1,135 in Thames. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,966 in Thames versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Thames but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Thames 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 Thames 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 Thames gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.