Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southwark and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Southwark: $1,486 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Southwark
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,486
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,486 in Southwark versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

  • Southwark $1,486
  • Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,262 in Southwark versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

  • Southwark $4,262
  • Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,038 in Southwark versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Southwark $7,038
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Southwark costs roughly 33% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Southwark 10% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Southwark
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.00 £18.76
$17.04 €15.15
46.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 £75.6
$62.3 €55.4
61.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.67 £8.00
$11.02 €9.80
-3.18%
Cappuccino
$5.70 £4.28
$3.12 €2.78
82.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 £2.29
$2.27 €2.02
34.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 £1.95
$1.74 €1.55
49.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.29 £6.97
$3.42 €3.04
171.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.28 £6.21
$3.74 €3.33
121.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Southwark
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 £1.44
$1.17 €1.04
64.10%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 £1.54
$1.86 €1.66
10.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 £1.65
$1.54 €1.37
42.86%
Eggs
$4.38 £3.29
$4.06 €3.61
7.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.90 £8.93
$12.91 €11.49
-7.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.07 £6.80
$7.90 €7.03
14.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.57 £11.68
$17.64 €15.69
-11.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 £2.29
$2.26 €2.01
34.96%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.75 €1.55
-17.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 £2.24
$1.89 €1.68
57.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.52 £2.64
$2.56 €2.27
37.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 £1.25
$1.85 €1.64
-10.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.79 £1.34
$1.97 €1.75
-9.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 £1.02
$1.45 €1.29
-6.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 £1.39
$0.77 €0.69
141.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.44 £17.59
$6.71 €5.97
249.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.16 £9.12
$5.67 €5.04
114.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.05 £2.29
$1.37 €1.22
122.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 £2.42
$2.11 €1.88
52.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Southwark
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.89 £2.92
$2.32 €2.07
67.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$157 £118
$44.43 €39.52
253.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 £3.73
$3.95 €3.51
25.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.72 £2.04
$1.05 €0.93
159.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.66 £29.75
$17.15 €15.26
131.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.15 £1.62
$2.19 €1.95
-1.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K £28.4K
$33.8K €30.0K
12.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K £30.0K
$38.3K €34.0K
4.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Southwark
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$335 £251
$164 €146
104.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.37 £13.78
$18.48 €16.43
-0.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.35 £30.27
$32.96 €29.32
22.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Southwark
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$45.87 €40.80
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.68 €16.61
-
Cinema Ticket
$18.05 £13.54
$9.75 €8.67
85.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Southwark
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,557 £1,919
$684 €608
273.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.4K £22.8K
$17.6K €15.7K
72.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Southwark
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.1 £69.9
$104 €92.3
-10.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.53 £34.91
$46.20 €41.09
0.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 £77.5
$99.7 €88.7
3.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.0 £67.5
$125 €111
-27.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Southwark
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,307 £1,731
$1,589 €1,414
45.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,169 €1,040
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,586 £4,190
$2,851 €2,536
95.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,792 £2,844
$1,993 €1,773
90.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,793 €6,932
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,418 €3,930
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Southwark
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,185 £3,140
$1,600 €1,423
161.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.12
3.85
32.99%

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

Last update for Southwark: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Southwark
$393
Lisbon
$215 45.3% $178
Eating Out
Southwark
$386
Lisbon
$247 35.9% $139
Groceries & Markets
Southwark
$329
Lisbon
$273 17.1% $56
Getting Around
Southwark
$191
Lisbon
$63 67.1% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Southwark
$150
Lisbon
$168 12.5% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Southwark
$36 *
Lisbon
$65 81.1% $29
Accommodation & Living
Southwark
- *
Lisbon
$1.2K

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,307 in Southwark and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southwark pays 162% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $101 in Southwark vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Southwark
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
14:19 2:19 PM
14:19 2:19 PM
Same time as Southwark
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
71,552
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
  • Southwark Lisbon 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Southwark
  • 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
Southwark vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Southwark and in Lisbon?
Southwark and Lisbon differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,486 vs $2,202 including rent). Southwark is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Southwark or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 162% higher in Southwark, 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 Southwark and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,307 in Southwark 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 Southwark and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $2,557 in Southwark 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?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,486 in Southwark versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Southwark but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Southwark the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Southwark 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 Southwark or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Southwark 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: Southwark or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Southwark gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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