Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough, Canada and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,561 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Scarborough versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Scarborough $2,561
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,474 in Scarborough versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Scarborough $3,474
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,388 in Scarborough versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Scarborough $4,388
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Scarborough is roughly 16% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scarborough 88% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 CA$24.20

$16.65 €14.92

4.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$98.3

$61.7 €55.3

13.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 CA$15.21

$11.36 €10.18

-4.14%

Cappuccino

$3.99 CA$5.57

$2.97 €2.66

34.34%

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

$2.03 CA$2.84

$2.29 €2.05

-11.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.05

$1.74 €1.56

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 CA$9.15

$3.40 €3.05

92.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CA$10.18

$3.31 €2.97

120.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.51

$1.16 €1.04

116.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 CA$3.68

$1.91 €1.71

37.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 CA$3.18

$1.51 €1.36

50.99%

Eggs

$3.64 CA$5.09

$4.02 €3.60

-9.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 CA$12.77

$12.94 €11.59

-29.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$15.98

$7.77 €6.97

47.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 CA$18.11

$17.76 €15.92

-27.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 CA$4.79

$2.30 €2.06

49.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.69

$1.73 €1.55

-30.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 CA$4.67

$1.86 €1.66

79.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.82

$2.59 €2.32

61.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$1.82 €1.63

-7.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 CA$2.35

$1.97 €1.76

-14.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.08

$1.47 €1.32

49.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.76

$0.72 €0.65

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.56

$6.58 €5.90

112.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.58 CA$17.58

$5.61 €5.02

124.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$1.36 €1.22

61.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$2.14 €1.91

19.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 CA$3.35

$2.33 €2.09

3.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CA$147

$44.68 €40.04

134.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.28

$3.85 €3.45

-20.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$1.07 €0.96

19.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.46

$16.46 €14.75

36.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.75

$2.20 €1.97

-43.18%

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

$26.1K CA$36.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

-23.53%

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

$21.7K CA$30.4K

$38.7K €34.7K

-43.90%

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

$137 CA$192

$161 €144

-14.81%

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

$35.21 CA$49.20

$18.41 €16.50

91.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.56 CA$67.8

$32.74 €29.34

48.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 CA$50.1

$44.55 €39.92

-19.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.96 CA$50.2

$19.10 €17.11

88.27%

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 CA$18.10

$9.60 €8.60

34.90%

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

$749 CA$1,047

$668 €598

12.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CA$15.1K

$17.6K €15.8K

-38.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$74.6

$102 €91.4

-47.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.94 CA$57.2

$44.46 €39.85

-7.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 CA$119

$98.5 €88.3

-13.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$147

$124 €111

-15.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,744 CA$2,437

$1,608 €1,441

8.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 CA$1,977

$1,190 €1,066

18.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 CA$2,965

$2,812 €2,520

-24.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 CA$2,456

$2,013 €1,804

-12.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,770 CA$10.9K

$7,839 €7,025

-0.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,085 CA$8,501

$4,576 €4,100

32.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,980 CA$4,163

$1,575 €1,411

89.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

3.85

18.18%

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

Last update for Scarborough: 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

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 15.9% $225

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$331 12.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 17.7% $58

Eating Out

Scarborough

$280 11%

Lisbon

$243 11% 13.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$221 8.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 4% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$128 5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 29.6% $38

Getting Around

Scarborough

$124 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 49% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$62 2.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 3.2% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,744 in Scarborough and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scarborough pays 89% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Scarborough vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

14:26 2:26 PM

5 h ahead of Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

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

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Scarborough Lisbon 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

Scarborough vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,561 in Scarborough and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 89% higher in Scarborough, 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: $1,744 in Scarborough versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $749 in Scarborough versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Scarborough. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.