Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Scarborough and in Lisbon: $2,130 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

103

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Scarborough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,130

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/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: $2,130 in Scarborough versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Scarborough $2,130
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,096 in Scarborough versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Scarborough $3,096
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,062 in Scarborough versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Scarborough $4,062
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Scarborough costs roughly 3% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scarborough 57% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 £11.53

$17.04 €15.15

-9.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 £53.4

$62.3 €55.4

14.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 £9.09

$11.02 €9.80

9.98%

Cappuccino

$3.51 £2.63

$3.12 €2.78

12.50%

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

$2.05 £1.53

$2.27 €2.02

-9.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 £0.77

$1.74 €1.55

-41.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 £3.44

$3.42 €3.04

33.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 £3.22

$3.74 €3.33

14.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 £0.97

$1.17 €1.04

10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 £1.03

$1.86 €1.66

-26.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 £0.81

$1.54 €1.37

-29.87%

Eggs

$3.60 £2.70

$4.06 €3.61

-11.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 £5.94

$12.91 €11.49

-38.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.18 £5.39

$7.90 €7.03

-9.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 £10.46

$17.64 €15.69

-20.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$2.26 €2.01

38.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.75 €1.55

13.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 £1.99

$1.89 €1.68

40.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 £1.57

$2.56 €2.27

-18.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.85 €1.64

-5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.97 €1.75

-17.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.87

$1.45 €1.29

-20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 £1.43

$0.77 €0.69

148.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.58 £16.94

$6.71 €5.97

236.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 £7.19

$5.67 €5.04

69.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 £2.74

$1.37 €1.22

166.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 £2.70

$2.11 €1.88

70.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.48

$2.32 €2.07

42.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.0 £64.5

$44.43 €39.52

93.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 £4.30

$3.95 €3.51

45.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.97 £3.73

$1.05 €0.93

373.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.58 £25.19

$17.15 €15.26

95.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.48

$2.19 €1.95

-9.59%

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

$36.0K £27.0K

$33.8K €30.0K

6.47%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

4.30%

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

$356 £267

$164 €146

117.36%

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

$25.99 £19.50

$18.48 €16.43

40.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 £24.56

$32.96 €29.32

-0.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.1 £49.59

$45.87 €40.80

44.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.67 £9.50

$18.68 €16.61

-32.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 £7.99

$9.75 €8.67

9.33%

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

$1,804 £1,353

$684 €608

163.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K £11.1K

$17.6K €15.7K

-16.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 £49.73

$104 €92.3

-36.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.54 £26.66

$46.20 €41.09

-23.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.3

$99.7 €88.7

8.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 £85.2

$125 €111

-8.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 £651

$1,589 €1,414

-45.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 £624

$1,169 €1,040

-28.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 £1,143

$2,851 €2,536

-46.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 £1,024

$1,993 €1,773

-31.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$910 £683

$1,600 €1,423

-43.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

3.85

43.64%

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

Last update for Scarborough: 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

Scarborough

$831 39%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 40.7% $338

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$415 19.5%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 48.1% $200

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$276 13%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 1.1% $3

Eating Out

Scarborough

$245 11.5%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$146 6.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 15.7% $23

Getting Around

Scarborough

$130 6.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 51.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$87 4.1%

Lisbon

$65 3% 25.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $867 in Scarborough and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 76% 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: $71.0 in Scarborough vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Scarborough

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

Same time as Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,749

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Scarborough Lisbon 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min 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

Scarborough and Lisbon differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,130 vs $2,202 including rent). Scarborough is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Lisbon. 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: $867 in Scarborough versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,804 in Scarborough versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,130 in Scarborough versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Scarborough but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Scarborough 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, Scarborough 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 Scarborough gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.