Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Winterthur

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $4,037 in Winterthur, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 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
196

Cost of Living Index in Winterthur
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Winterthur Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Winterthur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Winterthur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $4,037 in Winterthur.

Lisbon $2,202
Winterthur $4,037

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $5,873 in Winterthur.

Lisbon $3,274
Winterthur $5,873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $7,709 in Winterthur.

Lisbon $4,346
Winterthur $7,709

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 45% less than in Winterthur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Winterthur 198% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$30.10 CHF 24.79

-43.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$119 CHF 97.8

-47.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$17.88 CHF 14.73

-38.37%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.98 CHF 4.93

-47.83%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$5.36 CHF 4.41

-57.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$4.78 CHF 3.94

-63.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$8.37 CHF 6.89

-59.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.64 CHF 5.46

-43.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-48.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.88 CHF 3.20

-52.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.56 CHF 3.76

-66.23%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$7.32 CHF 6.03

-44.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$32.30 CHF 26.61

-60.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$29.04 CHF 23.91

-72.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$42.00 CHF 34.59

-58.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-48.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-21.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.16 CHF 2.60

-40.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$6.74 CHF 5.55

-62.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.50 CHF 2.06

-26.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.60 CHF 2.14

-24.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-43.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.22 CHF 1.01

-36.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$10.72 CHF 8.83

-37.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$12.93 CHF 10.65

-56.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.24 CHF 2.67

-57.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.98 CHF 3.28

-46.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$5.27 CHF 4.34

-55.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$96.7 CHF 79.7

-54.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$5.54 CHF 4.56

-28.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$3.47 CHF 2.86

-69.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$61.0 CHF 50.2

-71.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-1.79%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$42.9K CHF 35.3K

-21.19%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$39.6K CHF 32.7K

-3.49%

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

$164 €146

$426 CHF 351

-61.58%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$32.07 CHF 26.42

-42.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$76.3 CHF 62.9

-56.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$82.3 CHF 67.8

-44.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$33.66 CHF 27.72

-44.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$27.64 CHF 22.76

-64.73%

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

$684 €608

$1,810 CHF 1,491

-62.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$33.2K CHF 27.3K

-46.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$184 CHF 152

-43.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$145 CHF 119

-68.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$202 CHF 166

-50.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$458 CHF 377

-72.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$2,266 CHF 1,866

-29.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,671 CHF 1,376

-30.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$3,710 CHF 3,056

-23.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,498 CHF 2,058

-20.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$23.2K CHF 19.1K

-66.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$17.0K CHF 14.0K

-74.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$6,453 CHF 5,314

-75.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.48

55.24%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Winterthur: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Winterthur

$1.7K 41.4% 42.9% $502

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Winterthur

$646 16% 137% $373

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Winterthur

$462 11.4% 86.6% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Winterthur

$535 13.3% 148% $320

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Winterthur

$445 11% 164% $277

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Winterthur

$138 3.4% 110% $72

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Winterthur

$141 3.5% 124% $78

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $2,266 in Winterthur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Winterthur pays 303% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $119 in Winterthur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $646 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Winterthur

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

108,044

💱 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

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Between locations

Lisbon Winterthur 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Winterthur

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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 Winterthur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Winterthur differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $4,037 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 303% lower in Winterthur. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $2,266 in Winterthur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $1,810 in Winterthur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 137% higher in Winterthur. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $4,037 in Winterthur, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Winterthur. 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 Winterthur 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 83% less than in Winterthur. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.