Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paris and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,613 in Paris, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Paris
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Paris Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Paris

🇫🇷 France

$2,613

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,613 in Paris versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Paris $2,613
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,026 in Paris versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Paris $4,026
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,440 in Paris versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Paris $5,440
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Paris is roughly 18% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paris 94% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.11 €16.11

$16.50 €14.67

9.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.5

$61.3 €54.5

25.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 €12.08

$11.27 €10.03

20.50%

Cappuccino

$4.99 €4.44

$3.06 €2.72

63.07%

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

$4.41 €3.92

$2.26 €2.01

95.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.37

$1.73 €1.54

54.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 €6.96

$3.39 €3.02

130.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 €6.01

$3.40 €3.02

98.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.12 €1.00

38.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.86 €1.65

36.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$1.53 €1.36

73.86%

Eggs

$4.32 €3.84

$3.96 €3.53

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.04 €19.61

$12.76 €11.35

72.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.97 €12.43

$7.90 €7.02

76.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.31 €19.84

$16.97 €15.09

31.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 €2.83

$2.27 €2.02

40.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.75 €1.55

24.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$1.85 €1.64

55.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.72

$2.57 €2.28

62.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.86 €1.65

-3.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.02 €1.80

22.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.44 €1.28

26.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$0.82 €0.73

15.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.73 €13.10

$6.56 €5.83

124.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.07 €8.07

$5.62 €5.00

61.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.40

$1.28 €1.14

110.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.07 €1.84

74.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.35 €2.09

22.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 €89.9

$44.18 €39.30

128.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 €7.80

$3.99 €3.55

119.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.09 €0.97

30.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.47 €41.33

$16.64 €14.81

179.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.28 €2.03

0.88%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

3.47%

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

$35.2K €31.3K

$39.3K €35.0K

-10.41%

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

$247 €219

$167 €149

47.21%

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

$16.01 €14.24

$18.80 €16.72

-14.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.34 €26.09

$33.09 €29.43

-11.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 €34.54

$46.01 €40.93

-15.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.47 €16.43

$19.19 €17.07

-3.75%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 €12.66

$9.84 €8.75

44.61%

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

$1,773 €1,577

$677 €602

161.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.9K €23.1K

$16.9K €15.1K

53.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €97.5

$101 €90.1

8.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.6 €46.82

$45.76 €40.70

15.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €105

$100.0 €88.9

17.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €142

$123 €109

29.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 €1,405

$1,614 €1,436

-2.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 €1,068

$1,197 €1,065

0.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,406 €3,030

$2,862 €2,545

19.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,304 €2,049

$1,990 €1,770

15.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K €12.8K

$7,577 €6,740

89.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,759 €8,681

$4,307 €3,831

126.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,452 €3,071

$1,588 €1,412

117.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.85

-11.69%

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

Last update for Paris: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paris

$1.2K 45.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 0.3% $3.3

Groceries & Markets

Paris

$401 15.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 32.8% $132

Eating Out

Paris

$326 12.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 25.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paris

$292 11.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 24.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Paris

$198 7.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 15.8% $31

Getting Around

Paris

$128 4.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 50.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Paris

$67 2.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 2.4% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,580 in Paris and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paris pays 117% 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: $77.0 in Paris vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Paris

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

17:28 5:28 PM

1 h behind Paris

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,133,111 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Paris Lisbon 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Paris
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

Paris vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paris and Lisbon differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,613 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 117% higher in Paris, 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: $1,580 in Paris versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,773 in Paris versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Paris. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,613 in Paris, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Paris. 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, Paris 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 18% less than in Paris. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.