Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Preston and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Preston: $2,114 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Preston, United Kingdom
Lisbon, Portugal
Preston
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,114
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,114 in Preston versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Preston $2,114
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,021 in Preston versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Preston $3,021
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,928 in Preston versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Preston $3,928
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Preston costs roughly 4% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Preston 55% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Preston
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.89 £11.87
$16.65 €14.92
-4.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.3 £55.5
$61.7 €55.3
20.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.20 £6.88
$11.36 €10.18
-19.01%
Cappuccino
$4.24 £3.17
$2.97 €2.66
42.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 £1.72
$2.29 €2.05
0.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 £1.37
$1.74 €1.56
5.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.39 £4.03
$3.40 €3.05
58.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.20 £3.89
$3.31 €2.97
57.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Preston
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 £1.11
$1.16 €1.04
28.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 £1.07
$1.91 €1.71
-25.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 £1.20
$1.51 €1.36
5.96%
Eggs
$3.59 £2.68
$4.02 €3.60
-10.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.30 £3.96
$12.94 €11.59
-59.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 £7.12
$7.77 €6.97
22.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.68 £9.47
$17.76 €15.92
-28.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.59 £1.93
$2.30 €2.06
12.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.72 £1.28
$1.73 €1.55
-0.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 £1.92
$1.86 €1.66
38.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.96 £2.96
$2.59 €2.32
52.90%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 £1.54
$1.82 €1.63
13.19%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 £1.68
$1.97 €1.76
14.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 £0.88
$1.47 €1.32
-20.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 £1.23
$0.72 €0.65
129.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$21.56 £16.11
$6.58 €5.90
227.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.14 £6.83
$5.61 €5.02
62.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.18 £2.37
$1.36 €1.22
133.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 £2.43
$2.14 €1.91
51.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Preston
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.92 £2.93
$2.33 €2.09
68.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.5 £73.6
$44.68 €40.04
120.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.60 £1.94
$3.85 €3.45
-32.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.10 £1.57
$1.07 €0.96
96.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$16.46 €14.75
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.48
$2.20 €1.97
-9.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K £28.3K
$34.2K €30.6K
10.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.1K £30.7K
$38.7K €34.7K
6.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Preston
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$439 £328
$161 €144
172.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.86 £11.10
$18.41 €16.50
-19.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.51 £32.51
$32.74 €29.34
32.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Preston
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.40 £30.93
$44.55 €39.92
-7.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 £12.55
$19.10 €17.11
-12.04%
Cinema Ticket
$17.83 £13.32
$9.60 €8.60
85.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Preston
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,512 £1,130
$668 €598
126.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,738 £6,528
$17.6K €15.8K
-50.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Preston
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.7 £56.6
$102 €91.4
-25.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.16 £19.54
$44.46 €39.85
-41.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.4 £48.85
$98.5 €88.3
-33.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$66.4 £49.60
$124 €111
-46.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Preston
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 £724
$1,608 €1,441
-39.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$767 £573
$1,190 €1,066
-35.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 £1,201
$2,812 €2,520
-42.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,211 £905
$2,013 €1,804
-39.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,634 £2,715
$7,839 €7,025
-53.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,379 £1,777
$4,576 €4,100
-48.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Preston
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,994 £2,237
$1,575 €1,411
90.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.93
3.85
28.05%

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

Last update for Preston: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Preston
$767
Lisbon
$1.2K 55.1% $423
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Preston
$497
Lisbon
$212 57.3% $285
Groceries & Markets
Preston
$281
Lisbon
$272 3% $8.3
Eating Out
Preston
$260
Lisbon
$243 6.5% $17
Getting Around
Preston
$127
Lisbon
$63 50.3% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Preston
$105
Lisbon
$166 57.8% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Preston
$77
Lisbon
$64 17.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $969 in Preston and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Preston pays 90% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74 in Preston vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $281 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Preston
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
14:25 2:25 PM
14:25 2:25 PM
Same time as Preston
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
114,300
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Preston Lisbon 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Preston
  • 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
Preston vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Preston and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,114 in Preston and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Preston is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Preston or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 90% higher in Preston, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Preston and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $969 in Preston versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Preston and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $1,512 in Preston versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How far does $2,500 go in Preston compared to Lisbon?
Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Preston gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Preston and Lisbon?
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.

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