Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesex and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,393 in Middlesex, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Middlesex
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Middlesex Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Middlesex

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,393

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Middlesex 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 Middlesex and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,393 in Middlesex versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Middlesex $2,393
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,419 in Middlesex versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Middlesex $3,419
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,444 in Middlesex versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Middlesex $4,444
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Middlesex is roughly 8% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Middlesex 76% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.59 £14.63

$16.65 €14.91

17.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 £51.9

$61.7 €55.3

12.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 £7.57

$11.36 €10.17

-10.83%

Cappuccino

$3.45 £2.57

$2.97 €2.66

16.16%

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

$2.42 £1.81

$2.29 €2.05

5.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.45

$1.74 €1.56

12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 £3.52

$3.40 €3.05

38.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 £3.15

$3.31 €2.96

27.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.16 €1.04

10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.91 €1.71

-24.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 £2.74

$1.51 €1.35

143.05%

Eggs

$3.59 £2.68

$4.02 €3.60

-10.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 £5.61

$12.94 €11.59

-41.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.04 £5.26

$7.77 €6.96

-9.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 £10.26

$17.76 €15.91

-22.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 £2.44

$2.30 €2.06

42.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 £0.73

$1.73 €1.55

-43.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 £0.77

$1.86 €1.66

-44.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 £2.86

$2.59 €2.32

47.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$1.82 €1.63

-2.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.34

$1.97 €1.76

-8.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 £0.76

$1.47 €1.32

-31.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 £1.48

$0.72 €0.65

175.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.19 £16.57

$6.58 €5.90

237.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.07 £6.77

$5.61 €5.02

61.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.84 £3.61

$1.36 €1.22

255.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 £2.80

$2.14 €1.91

74.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.52 £2.63

$2.33 €2.09

51.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.6 £72.2

$44.68 €40.01

116.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 £3.17

$3.85 €3.45

10.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 £1.59

$1.07 €0.96

99.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.29 £24.85

$16.46 €14.74

102.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$2.20 €1.97

-5.00%

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

$37.9K £28.3K

$34.2K €30.6K

10.82%

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

$39.5K £29.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

2.01%

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

$347 £259

$161 €144

115.19%

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

$26.01 £19.42

$18.41 €16.49

41.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.27 £29.32

$32.74 €29.32

19.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 £34.29

$44.55 €39.90

3.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$17.57 £13.12

$9.60 €8.60

83.02%

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

$793 £592

$668 €598

18.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.4K

$17.6K €15.8K

24.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 £81.7

$102 €91.4

7.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 £41.20

$44.46 €39.82

24.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 £83.4

$98.5 €88.2

13.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 £83.2

$124 €111

-9.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £927

$1,608 €1,440

-22.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 £772

$1,190 €1,066

-13.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 £1,599

$2,812 €2,519

-23.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,642 £1,226

$2,013 €1,803

-18.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,028 £3,754

$7,839 €7,021

-35.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,931 £2,935

$4,576 €4,098

-14.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

3.85

43.64%

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

Last update for Middlesex: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Middlesex

$1K 43.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 15% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middlesex

$412 17.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 48.5% $200

Groceries & Markets

Middlesex

$287 12%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 5.2% $15

Eating Out

Middlesex

$278 11.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 12.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Middlesex

$174 7.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 4.9% $8.6

Getting Around

Middlesex

$126 5.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 49.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Middlesex

$81 3.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 21.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,242 in Middlesex and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Middlesex vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Middlesex

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

Same time as Middlesex

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,162

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Middlesex Lisbon 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Middlesex
Lisbon

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

Middlesex vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,393 in Middlesex and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,590 in Middlesex and $3,315 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,242 in Middlesex versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $793 in Middlesex versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Middlesex. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.