Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Waterloo

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Waterloo: $2,223 and $2,259 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo
Learn more

Waterloo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Waterloo

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Waterloo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,259 in Waterloo.

Lisbon $2,223
Waterloo $2,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,111 in Waterloo.

Lisbon $3,271
Waterloo $3,111

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,962 in Waterloo.

Lisbon $4,319
Waterloo $3,962

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 2% less than in Waterloo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Waterloo 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$22.30 €19.83

-26.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$101 €89.6

-39.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$14.79 €13.16

-23.80%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.53 €4.03

-32.45%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.79 €3.37

-40.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$3.18 €2.83

-45.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.63 €5.00

-39.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.48 €4.87

-37.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.29 €1.15

-13.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.67 €2.38

-30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.23 €1.99

-31.39%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.99 €3.55

-0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$17.65 €15.70

-27.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$12.25 €10.90

-35.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$19.60 €17.43

-13.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.81 €2.50

-19.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.44 €2.17

-28.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.85 €2.54

-35.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.80 €2.49

-8.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.17 €1.93

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.97 €1.75

2.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.33 €1.18

8.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.04 €0.93

-21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$12.93 €11.50

-49.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$8.74 €7.77

-35.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.96 €1.75

-34.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.40 €2.13

-13.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.65 €2.36

-11.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.94 €2.61

35.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.22 €1.98

-50.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$40.93 €36.41

-59.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.10 €1.86

8.57%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$35.3K €31.4K

-4.48%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

16.62%

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

$167 €149

$224 €199

-25.14%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$21.29 €18.94

-11.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$49.59 €44.11

-33.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$31.89 €28.37

44.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$20.37 €18.12

-5.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$15.93 €14.17

-38.23%

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

$677 €602

$788 €701

-14.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$26.5K €23.6K

-36.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$101 €90.0

0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$45.40 €40.38

0.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$110 €98.1

-9.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$147 €131

-16.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,061 €943

52.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$998 €888

19.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,402 €1,247

104.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,014 €902

96.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,096 €3,644

84.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,821 €2,509

52.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$2,468 €2,195

-35.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.71

3.77%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Waterloo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Waterloo

$998 44.2% 16.6% $199

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Waterloo

$352 15.6% 30.7% $83

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Waterloo

$344 15.2% 42% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Waterloo

$295 13% 34.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Waterloo

$182 8.1% 9.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Waterloo

$64 2.8% 3% $1.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Waterloo

$25 * 1.1% 60.9% $38

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,061 in Waterloo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waterloo pays 55% 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 $101 in Waterloo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $352 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇪 Waterloo

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

29,649

💱 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 Waterloo 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Waterloo

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 Waterloo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Waterloo differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,259 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Waterloo. 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 $1,061 in Waterloo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Waterloo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $2,259 in Waterloo – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,259 in Waterloo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Waterloo. 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 Waterloo 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 2% less than in Waterloo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.