Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roubaix and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Roubaix: $1,656 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Roubaix
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Roubaix Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Roubaix

🇫🇷 France

$1,656

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Roubaix versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Roubaix $1,656
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,580 in Roubaix versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Roubaix $2,580
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,505 in Roubaix versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Roubaix $3,505
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Roubaix costs roughly 25% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Roubaix 22% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.16

$17.04 €15.15

6.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 €65.8

$62.3 €55.4

18.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.11

$11.02 €9.80

23.59%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.41

$3.12 €2.78

22.76%

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

$3.19 €2.84

$2.27 €2.02

40.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.74 €1.55

-5.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 €6.75

$3.42 €3.04

121.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$3.74 €3.33

51.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.17 €1.04

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.86 €1.66

-14.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.54 €1.37

83.12%

Eggs

$2.04 €1.81

$4.06 €3.61

-49.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 €11.30

$12.91 €11.49

-1.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 €8.01

$7.90 €7.03

14.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 €11.64

$17.64 €15.69

-25.85%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 €0.88

$2.26 €2.01

-56.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.75 €1.55

-36.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.89 €1.68

15.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.56 €2.27

5.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 €0.67

$1.85 €1.64

-58.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.97 €1.75

-53.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.45 €1.29

15.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 €0.19

$0.77 €0.69

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 €10.37

$6.71 €5.97

73.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.48 €7.55

$5.67 €5.04

49.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.10

$1.37 €1.22

72.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.11 €1.88

102.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.32 €2.07

-16.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.11 €42.80

$44.43 €39.52

8.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.95 €3.51

-44.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.05 €0.93

104.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.07 €21.41

$17.15 €15.26

40.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.19 €1.95

-5.48%

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

$28.3K €25.1K

$33.8K €30.0K

-16.31%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$38.3K €34.0K

-27.68%

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

$176 €157

$164 €146

7.73%

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

$15.18 €13.50

$18.48 €16.43

-17.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.56 €27.18

$32.96 €29.32

-7.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.62 €31.68

$45.87 €40.80

-22.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 €9.76

$9.75 €8.67

12.51%

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

$629 €560

$684 €608

-8.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,319 €7,399

$17.6K €15.7K

-52.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.4

$104 €92.3

-16.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 €35.76

$46.20 €41.09

-12.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.5

$99.7 €88.7

0.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.1

$125 €111

-17.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €672

$1,589 €1,414

-52.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 €537

$1,169 €1,040

-48.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 €1,209

$2,851 €2,536

-52.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 €1,007

$1,993 €1,773

-43.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,519

$7,793 €6,932

-49.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,007 €2,675

$4,418 €3,930

-31.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,761 €1,566

$1,600 €1,423

10.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

3.85

1.82%

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

Last update for Roubaix: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roubaix

$604 36.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 93.6% $565

Eating Out

Roubaix

$301 18.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 17.7% $53

Groceries & Markets

Roubaix

$254 15.3%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 7.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roubaix

$222 13.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 3.1% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Roubaix

$149 9%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 13.4% $20

Getting Around

Roubaix

$69 4.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 8.5% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Roubaix

$58 3.5%

Lisbon

$65 3% 13.6% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Roubaix and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roubaix pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74.0 in Roubaix vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $273, with Roubaix cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Roubaix

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

16:40 4:40 PM

1 h behind Roubaix

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,892

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Roubaix Lisbon 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Roubaix vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roubaix and Lisbon differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $2,202 including rent). Roubaix is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Roubaix, 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: $756 in Roubaix versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $629 in Roubaix versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Roubaix versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Roubaix but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Roubaix 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, Roubaix 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 Roubaix gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.