Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Waterford

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,687 in Waterford, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Waterford
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Waterford Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Waterford

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Waterford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,687 in Waterford.

Lisbon $2,223
Waterford $2,687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,901 in Waterford.

Lisbon $3,271
Waterford $3,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $5,115 in Waterford.

Lisbon $4,319
Waterford $5,115

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 17% less than in Waterford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Waterford 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$22.19 €19.74

-25.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$91.1 €81.0

-32.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.02

$12.03 €10.70

-6.32%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.15 €3.69

-26.27%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.04 €2.70

-25.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.06 €1.83

-16.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$7.32 €6.51

-53.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.00 €5.33

-43.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.43 €1.27

-21.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.33 €2.07

-20.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.27 €2.02

-32.60%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.38 €3.89

-9.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$15.70 €13.96

-18.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$10.97 €9.76

-27.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$13.36 €11.89

27.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.93 €2.61

-22.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.19 €1.95

-20.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.07 €2.73

-39.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.01 €3.56

-35.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.48 €1.31

25.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.51 €1.34

33.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.25 €1.11

15.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.87 €1.66

-56.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$18.37 €16.34

-64.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$14.06 €12.50

-60.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$3.08 €2.74

-58.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.12 €2.77

-33.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.84 €2.53

-17.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.29

$62.4 €55.5

-29.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.07 €4.51

-21.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.42 €1.26

-23.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.80

$54.9 €48.81

-69.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.02 €1.80

12.87%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$38.5K €34.2K

-12.43%

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

$39.3K €34.9K

$37.2K €33.1K

5.58%

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

$167 €149

$243 €217

-31.21%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$21.08 €18.75

-10.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$49.89 €44.37

-33.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.92

$49.49 €44.02

-7.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$14.17 €12.60

35.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$16.96 €15.08

-41.98%

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

$677 €602

$985 €876

-31.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.0

$79.1 €70.4

27.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$48.30 €42.96

-5.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$109 €97.1

-8.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$112 €100

9.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,435

$1,697 €1,509

-4.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,363 €1,212

-12.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,555 €2,272

12.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,145 €1,907

-7.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,739

$3,136 €2,789

141.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,573 €2,288

67.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$3,161 €2,812

-49.78%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Waterford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Waterford

$1.4K 50.7% 13.9% $166

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Waterford

$351 13.1% 30.3% $82

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Waterford

$332 12.4% 37.2% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Waterford

$314 11.7% 43.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Waterford

$157 5.9% 5.6% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Waterford

$83 3.1% 27% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Waterford

$86 3.2% 36.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,697 in Waterford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waterford pays 99% 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 $91.0 in Waterford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $351 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇪 Waterford

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

40,300

💱 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 Waterford 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Waterford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Waterford differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,687 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 99% lower in Waterford. 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 $1,697 in Waterford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $985 in Waterford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,687 in Waterford, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Waterford. 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 Waterford 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 21% less than in Waterford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.