Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Uster

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,689 in Uster, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in Uster
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Uster Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Uster

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Uster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,689 in Uster.

Lisbon $2,223
Uster $3,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $5,289 in Uster.

Lisbon $3,271
Uster $5,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $6,889 in Uster.

Lisbon $4,319
Uster $6,889

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 40% less than in Uster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Uster 173% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$30.11 CHF 24.80

-45.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$120 CHF 98.7

-48.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$18.34 CHF 15.10

-38.55%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$6.04 CHF 4.97

-49.34%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$5.33 CHF 4.39

-57.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$4.79 CHF 3.95

-63.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$8.59 CHF 7.08

-60.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.73 CHF 5.54

-49.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-49.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.34 CHF 2.75

-44.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$4.39 CHF 3.61

-65.15%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$7.35 CHF 6.05

-46.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$32.17 CHF 26.49

-60.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$29.34 CHF 24.17

-73.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$42.64 CHF 35.12

-60.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.44 CHF 2.84

-34.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.81 CHF 2.31

-34.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.58 CHF 3.78

-43.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-40.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.33 CHF 1.10

-38.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$10.65 CHF 8.77

-38.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$12.97 CHF 10.69

-56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-60.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.34 CHF 2.75

-38.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$4.60 CHF 3.79

-48.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$99.8 CHF 82.2

-55.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.46 CHF 4.50

-26.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-66.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$59.4 CHF 48.94

-72.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.19 CHF 1.80

4.11%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$43.3K CHF 35.6K

-22.18%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-1.07%

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

$167 €149

$233 CHF 192

-28.10%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$31.89 CHF 26.26

-41.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$65.4 CHF 53.8

-49.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$73.6 CHF 60.6

-37.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$45.51 CHF 37.49

-57.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$21.75 CHF 17.92

-54.76%

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

$677 €602

$1,802 CHF 1,484

-62.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$32.6K CHF 26.8K

-48.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$164 CHF 135

-38.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$86.4 CHF 71.1

-47.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$143 CHF 118

-30.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$173 CHF 142

-29.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,678 CHF 1,382

-3.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,759 CHF 1,448

-31.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,928 CHF 2,412

-2.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,382 CHF 1,962

-16.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

-52.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$12.1K CHF 9,993

-64.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$6,850 CHF 5,642

-76.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

1.72

123.84%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Uster: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Uster

$1.8K 47.7% 46.9% $562

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Uster

$623 16.9% 131% $353

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Uster

$465 12.6% 92.1% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Uster

$330 9% 50.5% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Uster

$255 6.9% 53.3% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Uster

$117 3.2% 78.3% $51

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Uster

$140 3.8% 122% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,678 in Uster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Uster pays 331% 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 $120 in Uster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $623 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Uster

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

33,097

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Uster 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Uster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Uster differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $3,689 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 331% lower in Uster. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,678 in Uster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $1,802 in Uster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 131% higher in Uster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,689 in Uster, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Uster. 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 Uster 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 66% less than in Uster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.