Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zug

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $4,837 in Zug, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
236

Cost of Living Index in Zug
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Zug Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zug

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $4,837 in Zug.

Lisbon $2,202
Zug $4,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $7,605 in Zug.

Lisbon $3,274
Zug $7,605

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $10.4K in Zug.

Lisbon $4,346
Zug $10.4K

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 54% less than in Zug, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zug 257% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.24

$36.92 CHF 30.56

-53.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.7

$178 CHF 148

-65.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.86

$23.76 CHF 19.66

-53.62%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.79

$7.12 CHF 5.90

-56.18%

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

$2.27 €2.03

$6.16 CHF 5.10

-63.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$6.03 CHF 4.99

-71.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$9.45 CHF 7.82

-63.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.35

$7.71 CHF 6.38

-51.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-46.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.00 CHF 3.31

-53.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$4.14 CHF 3.43

-62.80%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.64

$7.88 CHF 6.52

-48.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.55

$27.44 CHF 22.71

-52.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.07

$31.40 CHF 25.99

-74.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.79

$41.61 CHF 34.44

-57.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$3.72 CHF 3.08

-39.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.95 CHF 1.62

-10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.83 CHF 2.34

-33.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$5.35 CHF 4.43

-52.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.04 CHF 1.69

-9.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.21 CHF 1.83

-10.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.30

$2.40 CHF 1.99

-39.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.33 CHF 1.10

-42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €6.00

$10.94 CHF 9.06

-38.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.07

$17.81 CHF 14.74

-68.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.23

$2.95 CHF 2.44

-53.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$3.88 CHF 3.21

-45.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.08

$4.88 CHF 4.04

-52.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.75

$161 CHF 133

-72.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.53

$8.84 CHF 7.32

-55.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$6.17 CHF 5.11

-82.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.35

$36.93 CHF 30.56

-53.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-1.79%

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

$33.8K €30.2K

$38.5K CHF 31.8K

-12.16%

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

$38.3K €34.2K

$39.7K CHF 32.8K

-3.56%

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

$164 €147

$276 CHF 229

-40.75%

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

$18.48 €16.53

$38.12 CHF 31.55

-51.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.49

$61.7 CHF 51.1

-46.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €41.04

$121 CHF 99.9

-61.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.71

$32.40 CHF 26.81

-42.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.73

$23.71 CHF 19.62

-58.88%

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

$684 €612

$4,240 CHF 3,509

-83.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$35.1K CHF 29.0K

-49.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.8

$168 CHF 139

-38.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.33

$67.5 CHF 55.9

-31.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €89.2

$154 CHF 127

-35.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €112

$272 CHF 225

-54.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,422

$3,874 CHF 3,206

-58.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,046

$2,575 CHF 2,131

-54.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,550

$6,833 CHF 5,655

-58.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,783

$4,953 CHF 4,099

-59.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,972

$31.1K CHF 25.7K

-74.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,953

$21.2K CHF 17.5K

-79.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,431

$7,434 CHF 6,153

-78.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

1.9

102.63%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zug: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Zug

$2.6K 53.2% 120% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Zug

$637 13.2% 133% $364

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Zug

$564 11.7% 128% $316

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Zug

$376 7.8% 74.8% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Zug

$297 6.2% 76.4% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Zug

$168 3.5% 157% $103

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zug

$220 4.5% 249% $157

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $3,874 in Zug. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zug pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $178 in Zug for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $637 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Zug

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

29,251

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

From you

Lisbon
Zug

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 Zug: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zug differ by about 120% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $4,837 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Lisbon. 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 $3,874 in Zug. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $4,240 in Zug. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 133% higher in Zug. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $4,837 in Zug, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Zug. 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 Zug 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 54% less than in Zug. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.