Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 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
207

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zurich

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $4,270 in Zurich.

Lisbon $2,210
Zurich $4,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $6,666 in Zurich.

Lisbon $3,275
Zurich $6,666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $9,061 in Zurich.

Lisbon $4,341
Zurich $9,061

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 48% less than in Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zurich 214% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$33.89 CHF 27.95

-50.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$146 CHF 120

-57.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$18.10 CHF 14.93

-37.24%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$6.88 CHF 5.68

-56.83%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$5.73 CHF 4.73

-60.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$5.25 CHF 4.33

-66.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$9.61 CHF 7.92

-64.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-60.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.11 CHF 1.74

-45.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.95 CHF 3.26

-51.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-60.37%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$8.40 CHF 6.93

-52.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$27.05 CHF 22.31

-52.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$28.85 CHF 23.80

-73.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$59.4 CHF 49.00

-70.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.13 CHF 3.40

-44.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-39.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.50 CHF 2.89

-46.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.56 CHF 3.76

-43.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-28.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-14.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.47 CHF 2.03

-40.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.29 CHF 1.07

-44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$11.04 CHF 9.11

-40.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$14.00 CHF 11.55

-59.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.88 CHF 2.38

-52.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-32.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$5.44 CHF 4.49

-57.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$105 CHF 86.3

-57.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$8.14 CHF 6.71

-52.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$4.56 CHF 3.76

-76.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$89.8 CHF 74.1

-81.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-5.17%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$38.9K CHF 32.1K

-12.04%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$39.0K CHF 32.2K

-0.71%

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

$161 €144

$282 CHF 233

-42.87%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$39.00 CHF 32.17

-52.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$55.0 CHF 45.40

-40.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$84.6 CHF 69.8

-47.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$61.7 CHF 50.9

-69.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$24.31 CHF 20.06

-60.51%

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

$668 €598

$3,444 CHF 2,841

-80.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$41.6K CHF 34.3K

-57.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$138 CHF 114

-25.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$55.0 CHF 45.39

-19.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$159 CHF 131

-38.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$249 CHF 206

-50.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$2,878 CHF 2,374

-44.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$2,143 CHF 1,767

-44.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$5,559 CHF 4,585

-49.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$4,003 CHF 3,302

-49.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$28.2K CHF 23.2K

-72.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$16.9K CHF 13.9K

-72.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$8,230 CHF 6,789

-80.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.09

84.21%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2% 80% $952

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zurich

$674 15.8% 148% $402

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zurich

$517 12.1% 113% $274

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zurich

$376 8.8% 77.2% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zurich

$270 6.3% 63% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zurich

$133 3.1% 109% $70

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zurich

$157 3.7% 149% $94

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,878 in Zurich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zurich pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $146 in Zurich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $674 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

443,037

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Zurich 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $4,270 in Zurich, so Lisbon is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 81% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $2,878 in Zurich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $3,444 in Zurich. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 147% higher in Zurich. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $4,270 in Zurich, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Zurich. 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 Zurich 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 48% less than in Zurich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.