Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poole and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,641 in Poole, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Poole
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Poole Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Poole

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,641

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,641 in Poole versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Poole $2,641
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,917 in Poole versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Poole $3,917
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,193 in Poole versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Poole $5,193
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Poole is roughly 19% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Poole 94% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.28 £17.38

$16.65 €14.91

39.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 £75.9

$61.7 €55.3

64.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 £8.03

$11.36 €10.17

-5.37%

Cappuccino

$5.19 £3.87

$2.97 €2.66

74.75%

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

$3.08 £2.30

$2.29 €2.05

34.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 £1.68

$1.74 €1.56

29.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 £5.12

$3.40 €3.05

101.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 £5.29

$3.31 €2.96

113.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.16 €1.04

46.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 £1.16

$1.91 €1.71

-18.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.68

$1.51 €1.35

49.01%

Eggs

$4.21 £3.14

$4.02 €3.60

4.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.50 £4.85

$12.94 €11.59

-49.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.76 £8.03

$7.77 €6.96

38.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.70 £9.48

$17.76 €15.91

-28.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 £1.69

$2.30 €2.06

-1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.73 €1.55

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 £1.46

$1.86 €1.66

4.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 £1.62

$2.59 €2.32

-16.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.82 €1.63

11.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.97 €1.76

-23.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 £1.33

$1.47 €1.32

21.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 £1.43

$0.72 €0.65

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.82

$6.58 €5.90

262.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 £7.26

$5.61 €5.02

73.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 £2.25

$1.36 €1.22

121.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.84

$2.14 €1.91

14.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.90

$2.33 €2.09

66.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 £56.7

$44.68 €40.01

70.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 £2.45

$3.85 €3.45

-14.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 £1.83

$1.07 €0.96

128.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.62 £16.15

$16.46 €14.74

31.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.52

$2.20 €1.97

-7.73%

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

$39.1K £29.2K

$34.2K €30.6K

14.23%

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

$40.5K £30.3K

$38.7K €34.7K

4.69%

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

$359 £268

$161 €144

122.63%

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

$20.32 £15.17

$18.41 €16.49

10.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.31 £32.33

$32.74 €29.32

32.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.8 £60.4

$44.55 €39.90

81.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$20.54 £15.34

$9.60 €8.60

113.96%

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

$2,128 £1,589

$668 €598

218.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.8K £25.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

91.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.6 £65.4

$102 €91.4

-14.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 £29.32

$44.46 €39.82

-11.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$98.5 €88.2

3.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 £62.6

$124 €111

-32.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 £878

$1,608 €1,440

-26.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 £903

$1,190 €1,066

1.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 £1,697

$2,812 €2,519

-19.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 £1,563

$2,013 €1,803

3.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,119 £1,582

$4,576 €4,098

-53.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,307 £2,469

$1,575 €1,411

109.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

3.85

28.83%

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

Last update for Poole: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Poole

$1.2K 45.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 1.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Poole

$423 16%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 49.7% $210

Eating Out

Poole

$351 13.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 30.8% $108

Groceries & Markets

Poole

$289 10.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 5.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Poole

$141 5.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 18% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Poole

$122 4.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 47.7% $58

Getting Around

Poole

$107 4.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 41% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,176 in Poole and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Poole pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $102 in Poole vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Poole

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

Same time as Poole

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,718

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

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

From you

Poole
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

Poole vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,641 in Poole and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Poole is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $1,176 in Poole versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,128 in Poole 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 Poole. 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.

Safety-wise, Poole and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Poole on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.