Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stevenage and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,570 in Stevenage, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Stevenage
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,570
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,570 in Stevenage versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Stevenage $2,570
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,826 in Stevenage versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Stevenage $3,826
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,081 in Stevenage versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Stevenage $5,081
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Stevenage is roughly 16% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stevenage 90% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Stevenage
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.49 £19.88
$16.50 €14.67
60.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.2 £60.2
$61.3 €54.5
30.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.65 £7.99
$11.27 €10.03
-5.50%
Cappuccino
$5.06 £3.80
$3.06 €2.72
65.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 £1.42
$2.26 €2.01
-16.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 £1.22
$1.73 €1.54
-5.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.77 £4.33
$3.39 €3.02
70.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.33 £4.00
$3.40 €3.02
56.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Stevenage
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 £1.27
$1.12 €1.00
50.89%
White Bread (500g)
$1.50 £1.12
$1.86 €1.65
-19.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 £1.44
$1.53 €1.36
25.49%
Eggs
$3.97 £2.98
$3.96 €3.53
0.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.48 £6.36
$12.76 €11.35
-33.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.10 £6.07
$7.90 €7.02
2.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.84 £10.39
$16.97 €15.09
-18.44%
Apples (1kg)
$3.38 £2.54
$2.27 €2.02
48.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 £1.11
$1.75 €1.55
-15.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 £2.35
$1.85 €1.64
69.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 £2.07
$2.57 €2.28
7.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.16 £0.87
$1.86 €1.65
-37.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.29
$2.02 €1.80
-14.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 £0.94
$1.44 €1.28
-13.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 £0.71
$0.82 €0.73
14.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.82 £17.87
$6.56 €5.83
263.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 £7.36
$5.62 €5.00
74.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.81 £2.11
$1.28 €1.14
119.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 £2.18
$2.07 €1.84
40.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Stevenage
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.50 £2.62
$2.35 €2.09
48.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$103 £77.5
$44.18 €39.30
133.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.77 £2.83
$3.99 €3.55
-5.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 £1.38
$1.09 €0.97
68.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.20 £15.15
$16.64 €14.81
21.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.91 £1.43
$2.28 €2.03
-16.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K £28.2K
$33.7K €30.0K
11.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K £30.0K
$39.3K €35.0K
1.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stevenage
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$230 £173
$167 €149
37.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.97 £16.48
$18.80 €16.72
16.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.62 £32.72
$33.09 €29.43
31.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Stevenage
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.85 £35.90
$46.01 €40.93
4.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.19 €17.07
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.34 £10.01
$9.84 €8.75
35.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Stevenage
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,042 £782
$677 €602
53.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$16.9K €15.1K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Stevenage
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.0 £58.5
$101 €90.1
-22.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.94 £28.46
$45.76 €40.70
-17.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.9 £48.68
$100.0 €88.9
-35.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.1 £65.4
$123 €109
-29.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Stevenage
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,631 £1,224
$1,614 €1,436
1.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,313 £985
$1,197 €1,065
9.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,020 £2,266
$2,862 €2,545
5.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,294 £1,721
$1,990 €1,770
15.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,577 €6,740
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,307 €3,831
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Stevenage
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,291 £2,469
$1,588 €1,412
107.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.51
3.85
43.12%

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

Last update for Stevenage: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Stevenage
$1.3K
Lisbon
$1.2K 8.8% $116
Eating Out
Stevenage
$358
Lisbon
$242 32.4% $116
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stevenage
$296
Lisbon
$219 25.9% $77
Groceries & Markets
Stevenage
$278
Lisbon
$269 3% $8.4
Getting Around
Stevenage
$130
Lisbon
$63 51.7% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Stevenage
$121
Lisbon
$166 38% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Stevenage
$75
Lisbon
$66 11.8% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Stevenage and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stevenage pays 107% 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: $80.0 in Stevenage vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Stevenage
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
09:41 9:41 AM
09:41 9:41 AM
Same time as Stevenage
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
89,663
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
  • Stevenage Lisbon 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Stevenage
  • 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
Stevenage vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Stevenage and in Lisbon?
Stevenage and Lisbon differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,570 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Stevenage or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 107% higher in Stevenage, 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 Stevenage and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,631 in Stevenage versus $1,614 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 Stevenage and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $1,042 in Stevenage versus $677 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 3% higher in Stevenage. 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 $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,570 in Stevenage, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Stevenage. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Stevenage 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 Stevenage or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Stevenage 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: Stevenage or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Stevenage. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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