Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tuam

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,580 in Tuam, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Tuam
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Tuam Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Tuam

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,580

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tuam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,580 in Tuam.

Lisbon $2,202
Tuam $2,580

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,675 in Tuam.

Lisbon $3,274
Tuam $3,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,770 in Tuam.

Lisbon $4,346
Tuam $4,770

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 15% less than in Tuam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Tuam 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$19.76 €17.57

-13.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$61.5 €54.7

1.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$14.32 €12.74

-23.04%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.47 €3.98

-30.20%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.92 €2.60

-22.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.85 €1.65

-5.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$7.03 €6.25

-51.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.59 €5.86

-43.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.59 €1.42

-26.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.28 €2.03

-18.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.92 €1.71

-19.79%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.42 €3.93

-8.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$10.28 €9.14

25.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$12.75 €11.34

-38.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$13.27 €11.81

32.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.05 €2.71

-25.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.29 €2.04

-23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.09 €2.75

-38.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.84 €4.30

-47.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.96 €1.74

-5.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.47 €1.30

34.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.37 €1.22

5.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.07 €1.84

-62.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$20.29 €18.05

-66.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$13.56 €12.06

-58.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.47 €3.09

-60.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.46 €3.08

-39.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.57 €2.29

-9.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$5.09 €4.53

-22.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.55 €1.38

-32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$33.37 €29.68

-48.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.02 €1.80

8.42%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$39.0K €34.7K

-13.28%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$38.1K €33.9K

0.42%

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

$164 €146

$244 €217

-32.90%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$21.40 €19.04

-13.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$50.3 €44.72

-34.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$58.9 €52.4

-22.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$13.18 €11.72

-26.02%

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

$684 €608

$1,009 €897

-32.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$5,119 €4,553

244.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$95.7 €85.1

8.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$42.02 €37.38

9.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$108 €95.7

-7.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$114 €101

9.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,609 €1,431

-1.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,318 €1,172

-11.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,576 €2,291

10.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,092 €1,860

-4.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,293 €2,929

34.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.14

-7.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tuam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Tuam

$1.3K 51.1% 12.7% $149

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Tuam

$355 13.7% 29.8% $81

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Tuam

$322 12.5% 30.1% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Tuam

$316 12.2% 46.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Tuam

$161 6.3% 4.1% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Tuam

$85 3.3% 30.4% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Tuam

$23 * 0.9% 63.3% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,609 in Tuam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $61.0 in Tuam. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $355, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇪 Tuam

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

9,647

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Tuam 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Tuam

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 Tuam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Tuam differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,580 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $3,870 in Tuam 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,609 in Tuam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Tuam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $2,580 in Tuam – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,580 in Tuam, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Tuam. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 Tuam 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Tuam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.