Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tsukuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,111 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
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Tsukuba Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tsukuba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,111 in Tsukuba.

Lisbon $2,210
Tsukuba $1,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,773 in Tsukuba.

Lisbon $3,275
Tsukuba $1,773

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,434 in Tsukuba.

Lisbon $4,341
Tsukuba $2,434

Living in Lisbon is roughly 99% more expensive than in Tsukuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Tsukuba is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$6.49 ¥1,023

156.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$33.75 ¥5,316

82.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$5.13 ¥808

121.44%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.63 ¥415

12.93%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.96 ¥151

138.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.80 ¥126

117.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.11 ¥332

61.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.13 ¥493

5.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.39 ¥219

-16.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.67 ¥264

14.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.25 ¥511

-53.54%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.09 ¥329

92.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.46 ¥1,648

23.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$6.03 ¥949

28.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$14.40 ¥2,268

23.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.63 ¥887

-59.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.75 ¥433

-37.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.83 ¥445

-34.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.23 ¥666

-38.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.52 ¥396

-27.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.67 ¥420

-26.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.82 ¥129

79.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.76 ¥119

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.71 ¥584

77.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.52 ¥1,027

-13.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.74 ¥274

-21.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.08 ¥327

2.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.43 ¥225

62.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$55.8 ¥8,788

-19.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.20 ¥503

20.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.76 ¥435

-61.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$20.77 ¥3,271

-20.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.11 ¥174

98.20%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

53.87%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$15.7K ¥2.5M

147.36%

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

$161 €144

$131 ¥20.7K

22.64%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$24.64 ¥3,881

-25.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$31.74 ¥5,000

3.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$56.0 ¥8,827

-20.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$13.27 ¥2,091

-27.66%

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

$668 €598

$96.3 ¥15.2K

593.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

17.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$47.58 ¥7,494

114.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$36.56 ¥5,759

21.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$38.69 ¥6,095

154.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$41.36 ¥6,515

199.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$465 ¥73.3K

245.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$280 ¥44.2K

324.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,086 ¥171.1K

158.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$645 ¥101.6K

212.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$4,791 ¥754.7K

63.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$2,181 ¥343.5K

109.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,458 ¥229.7K

8.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

92.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tsukuba: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Tsukuba

$280 25.3% 76.4% $910

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Tsukuba

$285 25.6% 4.6% $13

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Tsukuba

$123 11.1% 49.4% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Tsukuba

$188 16.9% 11.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Tsukuba

$74 6.7% 55.5% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Tsukuba

$83 7.4% 29.6% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Tsukuba

$79 7.1% 24.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $465 in Tsukuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 8% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $34 in Tsukuba. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $285, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

21:58 9:58 PM

9 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

230,398

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Tsukuba 11,120 km ≈ 14 h 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 Tsukuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,111 in Tsukuba, so Tsukuba is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $465 in Tsukuba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $96 in Tsukuba. 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 $1,111 in Tsukuba versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tsukuba but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tsukuba 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 Tsukuba are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tsukuba wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.