Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rugby and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,347 in Rugby, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Rugby despite lower rent and utilities.

Rugby
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,347
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,347 in Rugby versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

  • Rugby $2,347
  • Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,506 in Rugby versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

  • Rugby $3,506
  • Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,665 in Rugby versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Rugby $4,665
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Rugby is roughly 7% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rugby 73% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rugby
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.62 £14.72
$17.04 €15.15
15.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.2 £59.4
$62.3 €55.4
27.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.53 £7.15
$11.02 €9.80
-13.52%
Cappuccino
$4.91 £3.68
$3.12 €2.78
57.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 £1.59
$2.27 €2.02
-6.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 £1.13
$1.74 €1.55
-13.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.05 £4.54
$3.42 €3.04
76.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.58 £4.94
$3.74 €3.33
75.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rugby
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 £1.28
$1.17 €1.04
45.30%
White Bread (500g)
$1.75 £1.32
$1.86 €1.66
-5.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.55 £1.91
$1.54 €1.37
65.58%
Eggs
$3.77 £2.83
$4.06 €3.61
-7.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.32 £6.99
$12.91 €11.49
-27.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.79 £5.85
$7.90 €7.03
-1.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.11 £11.34
$17.64 €15.69
-14.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.59 £1.95
$2.26 €2.01
14.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 £1.31
$1.75 €1.55
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.41 £1.81
$1.89 €1.68
27.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.17 £2.37
$2.56 €2.27
23.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 £1.25
$1.85 €1.64
-10.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 £1.31
$1.97 €1.75
-11.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.24 £0.93
$1.45 €1.29
-14.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 £1.19
$0.77 €0.69
105.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$21.66 £16.25
$6.71 €5.97
222.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.81 £8.86
$5.67 €5.04
108.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.59 £2.70
$1.37 €1.22
162.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 £2.53
$2.11 €1.88
60.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Rugby
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.64 £1.98
$2.32 €2.07
13.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$106 £79.7
$44.43 €39.52
139.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.69 £3.52
$3.95 €3.51
18.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 £1.21
$1.05 €0.93
54.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.42 £18.32
$17.15 €15.26
42.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 £1.56
$2.19 €1.95
-4.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.2K £29.4K
$33.8K €30.0K
15.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$38.3K €34.0K
6.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rugby
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$265 £199
$164 €146
61.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.84 £14.88
$18.48 €16.43
7.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.42 £34.83
$32.96 €29.32
40.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rugby
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.0 £42.79
$45.87 €40.80
24.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.68 €16.61
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.91 £11.18
$9.75 €8.67
52.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rugby
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,600 £1,200
$684 €608
133.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K £16.9K
$17.6K €15.7K
27.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rugby
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 £81.4
$104 €92.3
4.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.56 £23.68
$46.20 €41.09
-31.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.0 £62.2
$99.7 €88.7
-16.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 £84.8
$125 €111
-9.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rugby
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,107 £831
$1,589 €1,414
-30.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,044 £783
$1,169 €1,040
-10.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,797 £1,348
$2,851 €2,536
-36.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,844 £1,383
$1,993 €1,773
-7.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,965 £3,725
$7,793 €6,932
-36.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,847 £2,886
$4,418 €3,930
-12.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rugby
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,705 £3,529
$1,600 €1,423
194.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.09
3.85
32.21%

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

Last update for Rugby: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rugby
$1K
Lisbon
$1.2K 12% $125
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rugby
$332
Lisbon
$215 35.1% $116
Eating Out
Rugby
$302
Lisbon
$247 18.1% $55
Groceries & Markets
Rugby
$302
Lisbon
$273 9.5% $29
Clothing & Footwear
Rugby
$151
Lisbon
$168 11.4% $17
Getting Around
Rugby
$130
Lisbon
$63 51.4% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Rugby
$87
Lisbon
$65 24.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Rugby and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rugby pays 194% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Rugby vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Rugby
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
14:19 2:19 PM
14:19 2:19 PM
Same time as Rugby
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
70,628
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rugby Lisbon 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Rugby
  • 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
Rugby vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Rugby and in Lisbon?
Rugby and Lisbon differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,347 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Rugby or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 194% higher in Rugby, 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 Rugby and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,107 in Rugby versus $1,589 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 Rugby and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $1,600 in Rugby versus $684 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?
Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Rugby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,347 in Rugby, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Rugby. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Rugby 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.
Is Rugby or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Rugby 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.
Where should expats move: Rugby or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Rugby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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