Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,359 in London, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in London despite lower rent and utilities.

113

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,359

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in London and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,359 in London versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

London $2,359
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,355 in London versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

London $3,355
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,351 in London versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

London $4,351
Lisbon $4,346

Living in London is roughly 7% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 74% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 CA$29.94

$17.04 €15.15

24.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 CA$89.2

$62.3 €55.4

1.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 CA$17.29

$11.02 €9.80

10.98%

Cappuccino

$3.67 CA$5.19

$3.12 €2.78

17.63%

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

$2.18 CA$3.08

$2.27 €2.02

-3.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 CA$3.08

$1.74 €1.55

25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 CA$9.27

$3.42 €3.04

91.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 CA$8.88

$3.74 €3.33

67.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.79

$1.17 €1.04

69.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$1.86 €1.66

44.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.53

$1.54 €1.37

153.90%

Eggs

$3.67 CA$5.19

$4.06 €3.61

-9.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 CA$14.37

$12.91 €11.49

-21.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.40

$7.90 €7.03

46.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 CA$21.08

$17.64 €15.69

-15.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 CA$6.15

$2.26 €2.01

92.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$1.75 €1.55

-29.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.30

$1.89 €1.68

98.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.69

$2.56 €2.27

57.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 CA$4.31

$1.85 €1.64

64.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.29

$1.97 €1.75

54.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$1.45 €1.29

75.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.15

$0.77 €0.69

97.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.81 CA$16.70

$6.71 €5.97

76.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.91 CA$18.25

$5.67 €5.04

127.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.46

$1.37 €1.22

78.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.11 €1.88

34.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.32 €2.07

-2.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.4 CA$112

$44.43 €39.52

78.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 CA$3.57

$3.95 €3.51

-35.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 CA$2.42

$1.05 €0.93

62.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.96 CA$31.05

$17.15 €15.26

28.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$2.19 €1.95

-43.38%

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

$27.0K CA$38.2K

$33.8K €30.0K

-20.10%

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

$22.8K CA$32.2K

$38.3K €34.0K

-40.51%

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

$139 CA$197

$164 €146

-15.14%

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

$39.70 CA$56.1

$18.48 €16.43

114.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 CA$80.5

$32.96 €29.32

72.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.60 CA$53.2

$45.87 €40.80

-18.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.03 CA$41.04

$18.68 €16.61

55.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 CA$14.82

$9.75 €8.67

7.49%

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

$410 CA$580

$684 €608

-40.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$17.6K €15.7K

14.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 CA$75.0

$104 €92.3

-48.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.23 CA$55.5

$46.20 €41.09

-15.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 CA$115

$99.7 €88.7

-18.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 CA$127

$125 €111

-28.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 CA$1,834

$1,589 €1,414

-18.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 CA$1,656

$1,169 €1,040

0.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 CA$2,920

$2,851 €2,536

-27.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 CA$2,378

$1,993 €1,773

-15.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,510 CA$4,962

$7,793 €6,932

-54.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,683 CA$5,207

$4,418 €3,930

-16.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,092 CA$4,371

$1,600 €1,423

93.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

3.85

22.60%

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

Last update for London: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$1.2K 49.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 0.2% $2.6

Groceries & Markets

London

$362 15.3%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 24.6% $89

Eating Out

London

$313 13.3%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 20.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$236 10%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 8.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

London

$118 5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 42.3% $50

Getting Around

London

$100 4.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 36.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

London

$59 2.5%

Lisbon

$65 3% 11.6% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,297 in London and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 93% 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: $63.0 in London vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

04:17 4:17 AM

5 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Lisbon 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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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

London vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London and Lisbon differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,359 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 93% higher in London, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,297 in London versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $410 in London versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,359 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in London. 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, London and Lisbon 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 7% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.