Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Quebec City: $1,854 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

91

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
Learn more

Quebec City Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,854

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,854 in Quebec City versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Quebec City $1,854
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,819 in Quebec City versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Quebec City $2,819
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,784 in Quebec City versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Quebec City $3,784
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Quebec City costs roughly 17% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Quebec City 37% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.65 CA$29.20

$16.50 €14.67

25.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 CA$93.5

$61.3 €54.5

8.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 CA$15.52

$11.27 €10.03

-2.57%

Cappuccino

$3.74 CA$5.29

$3.06 €2.72

22.22%

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

$2.06 CA$2.92

$2.26 €2.01

-8.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 CA$1.98

$1.73 €1.54

-19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 CA$7.71

$3.39 €3.02

61.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$3.40 €3.02

65.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 CA$2.86

$1.12 €1.00

80.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$1.86 €1.65

52.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 CA$5.99

$1.53 €1.36

177.12%

Eggs

$3.04 CA$4.29

$3.96 €3.53

-23.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.90 CA$12.58

$12.76 €11.35

-30.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 CA$15.32

$7.90 €7.02

37.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 CA$14.48

$16.97 €15.09

-39.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.80

$2.27 €2.02

80.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CA$2.14

$1.75 €1.55

-13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.22

$1.85 €1.64

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$2.57 €2.28

51.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$1.86 €1.65

56.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.04

$2.02 €1.80

41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$1.44 €1.28

86.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.82 €0.73

80.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.76 CA$20.86

$6.56 €5.83

125.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.09 CA$15.67

$5.62 €5.00

97.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$1.28 €1.14

139.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CA$4.59

$2.07 €1.84

57.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.87 CA$4.06

$2.35 €2.09

22.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 CA$99.8

$44.18 €39.30

59.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$3.99 €3.55

-29.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$1.09 €0.97

28.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.75 CA$49.13

$16.64 €14.81

108.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$2.28 €2.03

-44.74%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

-18.91%

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

$21.1K CA$29.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-46.29%

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

$97.4 CA$138

$167 €149

-41.82%

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

$31.01 CA$43.84

$18.80 €16.72

64.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.26 CA$62.6

$33.09 €29.43

33.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.36 CA$48.58

$46.01 €40.93

-25.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.13 CA$21.39

$19.19 €17.07

-21.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 CA$15.29

$9.84 €8.75

9.96%

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

$678 CA$958

$677 €602

0.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,045 CA$12.8K

$16.9K €15.1K

-46.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 CA$81.3

$101 €90.1

-43.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 CA$70.6

$45.76 €40.70

9.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 CA$126

$100.0 €88.9

-10.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$123 €109

-14.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 CA$1,424

$1,614 €1,436

-37.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 CA$1,077

$1,197 €1,065

-36.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 CA$2,171

$2,862 €2,545

-46.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 CA$1,777

$1,990 €1,770

-36.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,735 CA$6,694

$7,577 €6,740

-37.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,669 CA$3,773

$4,307 €3,831

-38.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,961 CA$4,186

$1,588 €1,412

86.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

3.85

15.32%

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

Last update for Quebec City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quebec City

$762 41.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 57.2% $435

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$340 18.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 20.8% $71

Eating Out

Quebec City

$295 15.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 18% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$173 9.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 27% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$136 7.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 22.6% $31

Getting Around

Quebec City

$92 5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 31.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$56 3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 17.3% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Quebec City and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quebec City pays 86% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Quebec City vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

20:15 8:15 PM

5 h ahead of Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quebec City Lisbon 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Quebec City
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

Quebec City vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quebec City and Lisbon differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,854 vs $2,223 including rent). Quebec City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Quebec City, 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: $1,008 in Quebec City versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $678 in Quebec City versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 26% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,854 in Quebec City versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quebec City but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Quebec City 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, Quebec City 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 Quebec City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.