Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Thun

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,388 in Thun, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Thun
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,388
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Thun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,388 in Thun.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Thun $3,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $5,170 in Thun.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Thun $5,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $6,952 in Thun.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Thun $6,952

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 34% less than in Thun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Thun 151% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Thun
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.67
$28.31 CHF 23.32
-41.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.5
$122 CHF 100
-49.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.03
$15.51 CHF 12.77
-27.34%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$6.45 CHF 5.31
-52.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$6.28 CHF 5.17
-64.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$5.88 CHF 4.84
-70.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$8.85 CHF 7.29
-61.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.02
$7.67 CHF 6.32
-55.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Thun
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$2.13 CHF 1.76
-47.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.65
$2.99 CHF 2.46
-37.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$3.13 CHF 2.58
-51.12%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.53
$7.60 CHF 6.26
-47.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.35
$23.82 CHF 19.62
-46.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.02
$26.88 CHF 22.14
-70.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.09
$39.26 CHF 32.34
-56.78%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$3.55 CHF 2.92
-36.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.96 CHF 1.61
-10.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.65 CHF 2.18
-30.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.28
$4.73 CHF 3.90
-45.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.56 CHF 1.28
19.23%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$2.00 CHF 1.65
1.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$2.19 CHF 1.80
-34.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$1.28 CHF 1.05
-35.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.83
$11.25 CHF 9.26
-41.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
$12.09 CHF 9.96
-53.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
$2.26 CHF 1.86
-43.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$2.92 CHF 2.41
-29.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Thun
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$4.49 CHF 3.70
-47.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.30
$100 CHF 82.6
-55.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$8.04 CHF 6.62
-50.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$4.53 CHF 3.73
-75.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.81
$82.9 CHF 68.3
-79.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$2.38 CHF 1.96
-4.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$42.5K CHF 35.0K
-20.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$39.4K CHF 32.5K
-0.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Thun
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$289 CHF 238
-42.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.72
$46.36 CHF 38.18
-59.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.43
$62.8 CHF 51.7
-47.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Thun
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €40.93
$89.8 CHF 74.0
-48.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.07
$46.01 CHF 37.89
-58.29%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.75
$23.22 CHF 19.12
-57.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Thun
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €602
$3,058 CHF 2,519
-77.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$30.5K CHF 25.1K
-44.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Thun
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.1
$144 CHF 119
-29.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.70
$78.8 CHF 64.9
-41.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.9
$159 CHF 131
-37.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$192 CHF 158
-35.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Thun
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,436
$1,685 CHF 1,388
-4.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,065
$1,432 CHF 1,180
-16.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,545
$2,842 CHF 2,341
0.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,770
$2,457 CHF 2,023
-18.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,740
$16.2K CHF 13.4K
-53.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,831
$11.8K CHF 9,721
-63.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Thun
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,412
$5,785 CHF 4,765
-72.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
2.42
59.09%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Thun: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Thun
$1.4K 19.7% $235
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Thun
$556 106% $286
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Thun
$459 89.3% $216
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Thun
$398 81.6% $179
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Thun
$258 55.2% $92
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Thun
$136 108% $71
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Thun
$149 136% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,685 in Thun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thun pays 264% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $122 in Thun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $556 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇨🇭 Thun
🕒 Local time
09:41 9:41 AM
10:41 10:41 AM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
43,905
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Thun 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Thun

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 Thun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Thun?
Lisbon and Thun differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $3,388 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 264% lower in Thun. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Thun?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,685 in Thun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Thun?
Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $3,058 in Thun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Thun. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,388 in Thun, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Thun. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Thun?
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.
Is Lisbon or Thun safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Thun are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Thun?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Thun. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?