Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,416 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,416 in Ottawa versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Ottawa $2,416
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,537 in Ottawa versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Ottawa $3,537
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,658 in Ottawa versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Ottawa $4,658
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Ottawa is roughly 10% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ottawa 78% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 CA$24.91

$17.04 €15.15

3.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 CA$111

$62.3 €55.4

26.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$11.02 €9.80

-3.72%

Cappuccino

$4.04 CA$5.71

$3.12 €2.78

29.49%

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

$2.08 CA$2.94

$2.27 €2.02

-8.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.74 €1.55

0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 CA$8.08

$3.42 €3.04

66.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.14

$3.74 €3.33

72.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$1.17 €1.04

105.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 CA$4.19

$1.86 €1.66

59.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$1.54 €1.37

87.01%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.57

$4.06 €3.61

-20.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 CA$16.27

$12.91 €11.49

-10.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 CA$16.41

$7.90 €7.03

46.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 CA$26.90

$17.64 €15.69

7.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$2.26 €2.01

65.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.75 €1.55

-27.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$1.89 €1.68

106.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.10

$2.56 €2.27

41.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$1.85 €1.64

38.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.97 €1.75

21.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.45 €1.29

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$0.77 €0.69

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 CA$20.43

$6.71 €5.97

115.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 CA$17.63

$5.67 €5.04

119.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$1.37 €1.22

90.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$2.11 €1.88

50.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$2.32 €2.07

26.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 CA$134

$44.43 €39.52

112.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$3.95 €3.51

-32.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$1.05 €0.93

45.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.08 CA$26.98

$17.15 €15.26

11.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$2.19 €1.95

-43.84%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$33.8K €30.0K

-18.38%

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

$22.3K CA$31.5K

$38.3K €34.0K

-41.79%

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

$139 CA$196

$164 €146

-15.15%

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

$37.37 CA$52.8

$18.48 €16.43

102.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$72.3

$32.96 €29.32

55.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.10 CA$68.0

$45.87 €40.80

4.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 CA$39.43

$18.68 €16.61

49.30%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 CA$17.93

$9.75 €8.67

30.05%

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

$928 CA$1,311

$684 €608

35.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$17.6K €15.7K

-8.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$104 €92.3

-44.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.28 CA$52.7

$46.20 €41.09

-19.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$146

$99.7 €88.7

3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 CA$138

$125 €111

-21.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CA$2,031

$1,589 €1,414

-9.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,717

$1,169 €1,040

3.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,310 CA$3,266

$2,851 €2,536

-18.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 CA$2,645

$1,993 €1,773

-6.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,326 CA$6,115

$7,793 €6,932

-44.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,547 CA$6,428

$4,418 €3,930

2.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,730 CA$5,274

$1,600 €1,423

133.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

3.85

8.05%

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

Last update for Ottawa: 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

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 3.7% $46

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$373 15.4%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 26.7% $99

Eating Out

Ottawa

$278 11.5%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 11% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$227 9.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 5.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$133 5.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 26.8% $36

Getting Around

Ottawa

$117 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 46.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$73 3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 11% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,437 in Ottawa and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ottawa pays 133% 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: $79.0 in Ottawa vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

23:01 11:01 PM

5 h ahead of Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Ottawa Lisbon 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa
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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

Ottawa vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ottawa and Lisbon differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,416 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 133% higher in Ottawa, 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: $1,437 in Ottawa versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $928 in Ottawa 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 36% higher in Ottawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,416 in Ottawa, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Ottawa. 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, Ottawa 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 10% less than in Ottawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.