Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Vernier

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $3,467 in Vernier, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Vernier
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Vernier Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Vernier

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Vernier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,467 in Vernier.

Lisbon $2,206
Vernier $3,467

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $5,180 in Vernier.

Lisbon $3,276
Vernier $5,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $6,893 in Vernier.

Lisbon $4,346
Vernier $6,893

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 36% less than in Vernier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Vernier 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$30.15 CHF 24.61

-44.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$122 CHF 99.8

-50.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$16.00 CHF 13.06

-31.37%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$6.23 CHF 5.08

-51.04%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$6.04 CHF 4.93

-62.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$6.08 CHF 4.96

-72.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$9.32 CHF 7.61

-63.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$9.96 CHF 8.13

-60.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.27 CHF 1.85

-49.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.06 CHF 2.50

-38.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$3.26 CHF 2.66

-53.99%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$7.96 CHF 6.50

-48.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$24.73 CHF 20.19

-47.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$28.64 CHF 23.38

-71.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$39.27 CHF 32.06

-54.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.61 CHF 2.95

-37.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.68 CHF 1.38

3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.77 CHF 2.26

-34.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.65 CHF 3.80

-42.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.60 CHF 1.30

10.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.10 CHF 1.71

-7.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.24 CHF 1.83

-34.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.30 CHF 1.06

-41.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$11.03 CHF 9.01

-39.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$12.22 CHF 9.98

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.22 CHF 1.81

-41.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.97 CHF 2.42

-27.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$4.26 CHF 3.48

-46.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$112 CHF 91.3

-60.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$7.81 CHF 6.38

-49.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$3.86 CHF 3.15

-83.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$64.6 CHF 52.7

-70.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.40 CHF 1.96

-5.00%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$38.7K CHF 31.6K

-13.80%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$40.2K CHF 32.8K

-4.25%

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

$158 €141

$277 CHF 226

-42.98%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$28.08 CHF 22.93

-37.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$56.6 CHF 46.21

-44.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$79.2 CHF 64.7

-43.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

$43.69 CHF 35.67

-56.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$24.66 CHF 20.14

-61.15%

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

$674 €599

$2,508 CHF 2,048

-73.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$35.6K CHF 29.1K

-47.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$135 CHF 110

-24.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$61.9 CHF 50.5

-25.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$160 CHF 131

-36.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$191 CHF 156

-36.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$1,734 CHF 1,415

-5.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$1,524 CHF 1,244

-22.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$2,898 CHF 2,366

-2.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$2,401 CHF 1,960

-15.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$16.6K CHF 13.6K

-52.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$10.9K CHF 8,897

-56.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

1.98

92.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vernier: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Vernier

$1.5K 44% 28.4% $337

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Vernier

$571 16.5% 108% $296

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Vernier

$479 13.8% 95.3% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Vernier

$362 10.4% 75% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Vernier

$247 7.1% 47.2% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Vernier

$129 3.7% 102% $65

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Vernier

$156 4.5% 158% $96

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,734 in Vernier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $122 in Vernier for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $571 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Vernier

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

34,477

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Vernier 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Vernier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $3,467 in Vernier, so Lisbon is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $5,201 in Vernier 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,734 in Vernier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $2,508 in Vernier. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 108% higher in Vernier. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,467 in Vernier, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Vernier. 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 Vernier are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Vernier. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.