Cost of Living Comparison Between Retford and Lisbon Cost of Living Comparison Between Retford and Lisbon

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,268 in Retford versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,360 in Retford versus $3,311 in Lisbon.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,452 in Retford versus $4,411 in Lisbon.

Living in Retford is roughly 3% more expensive than Lisbon, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Retford 69% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 £15.10

$15.91 €13.80

26.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 £61.8

$64.8 €56.2

27.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 £7.64

$10.51 €9.12

-3.04%

Cappuccino

$4.62 £3.47

$2.87 €2.49

60.98%

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

$2.27 £1.70

$2.24 €1.95

1.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.50 €1.30

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 £4.67

$3.49 €3.03

78.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 £4.71

$3.88 €3.37

61.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.14 €0.99

43.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.75 €1.52

-4.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 £1.66

$1.76 €1.52

25.57%

Eggs

$3.99 £2.99

$3.22 €2.79

23.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.10 £7.58

$13.49 €11.70

-25.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 £6.50

$7.91 €6.87

9.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.09 £10.57

$15.87 €13.77

-11.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.32

$2.31 €2.00

34.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.70 €1.48

-4.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 £2.09

$2.01 €1.74

38.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 £2.60

$2.46 €2.13

41.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.84 €1.60

-11.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$2.00 €1.74

-23.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.80

$1.93 €1.67

-45.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 £1.15

$0.79 €0.68

93.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.70 £14.02

$6.61 €5.73

182.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 £8.17

$5.72 €4.97

90.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.04

$1.37 €1.18

97.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.37

$2.97 €2.58

6.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.48

$2.37 €2.06

39.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.7 £67.3

$45.56 €39.52

96.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 £4.02

$4.29 €3.72

24.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 £1.13

$0.82 €0.71

84.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.23 £17.42

$18.30 €15.88

26.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.41

$2.06 €1.79

-8.74%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$34.3K €29.7K

14.26%

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

$41.9K £31.4K

$39.3K €34.1K

6.57%

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

$298 £223

$148 €128

101.31%

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

$17.07 £12.80

$20.52 €17.80

-16.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.14 £32.35

$39.61 €34.37

8.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 £33.86

$47.85 €41.51

-5.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.92 €16.42

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 £10.03

$9.18 €7.97

45.75%

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

$1,594 £1,196

$614 €533

159.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K £13.9K

$16.0K €13.9K

15.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 £61.8

$105 €90.8

-21.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 £32.33

$42.06 €36.49

2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 £70.0

$94.0 €81.5

-0.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 £73.4

$120 €104

-18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 £935

$1,628 €1,412

-23.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 £755

$1,255 €1,089

-19.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 £1,525

$3,030 €2,629

-32.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 £1,274

$2,020 €1,753

-15.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,177 £3,882

$7,800 €6,766

-33.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,017 £1,512

$4,273 €3,707

-52.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 £1,006

$1,603 €1,391

-16.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

3.81

47.77%

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

Last update for Retford: May 31, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,247 in Retford and $1,628 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $82.0 in Retford vs $65.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

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

Retford vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Retford and Lisbon differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,268 vs $2,210 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Lisbon earns 19% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,247 in Retford versus $1,628 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,594 in Retford versus $614 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Retford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,268 in Retford, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Retford. 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, Retford 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 3% less than in Retford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.