Cost of Living Comparison Between Stirling and Lisbon Cost of Living Comparison Between Stirling and Lisbon

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,141 in Stirling versus $2,316 in Lisbon.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,310 in Stirling versus $3,361 in Lisbon.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,478 in Stirling versus $4,405 in Lisbon.

Living in Stirling costs roughly 8% less than in Lisbon, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stirling 56% above, Lisbon 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.28 £14.99

$17.30 €14.87

17.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.7 £71.5

$63.3 €54.4

52.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 £8.11

$11.39 €9.79

-3.60%

Cappuccino

$4.89 £3.62

$3.19 €2.74

53.29%

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

$2.46 £1.82

$2.45 €2.10

0.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.37

$1.76 €1.52

5.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 £4.55

$3.59 €3.09

71.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 £3.47

$3.39 €2.92

38.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 £0.98

$1.24 €1.06

6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 £0.99

$1.98 €1.71

-32.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 £1.43

$1.52 €1.31

26.97%

Eggs

$3.74 £2.76

$4.04 €3.47

-7.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 £6.59

$13.54 €11.64

-34.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.82 £5.78

$8.39 €7.21

-6.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.84 £5.06

$18.25 €15.69

-62.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 £2.19

$2.29 €1.97

29.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 £1.00

$1.74 €1.50

-21.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.08

$1.86 €1.60

51.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 £2.03

$2.63 €2.26

4.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 £1.24

$1.92 €1.65

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 £1.18

$2.09 €1.80

-23.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 £0.76

$1.44 €1.24

-28.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.11

$0.84 €0.72

78.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.55 £15.93

$6.78 €5.83

217.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 £8.47

$5.71 €4.91

100.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.00

$1.38 €1.18

96.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.27

$2.22 €1.91

38.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.55 £4.84

$2.40 €2.06

172.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 £58.5

$46.78 €40.22

69.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 £2.95

$4.17 €3.59

-4.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 £1.83

$1.14 €0.98

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.28 £17.95

$17.68 €15.20

37.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.43

$2.32 €2.00

-16.38%

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

$39.1K £28.9K

$35.3K €30.4K

10.55%

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

$41.3K £30.5K

$41.4K €35.6K

-0.28%

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

$288 £213

$170 €146

69.15%

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

$15.47 £11.44

$19.34 €16.62

-20.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.37 £30.58

$33.64 €28.92

22.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.42 £23.97

$48.10 €41.35

-32.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.71 £12.35

$19.90 €17.11

-16.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 £7.04

$9.92 €8.53

-4.03%

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

$1,825 £1,349

$717 €617

154.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K £17.6K

$17.5K €15.0K

36.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 £74.5

$105 €90.1

-3.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 £26.93

$46.95 €40.36

-22.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 £70.4

$103 €88.9

-7.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 £39.88

$124 €107

-56.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 £785

$1,677 €1,441

-36.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 £701

$1,271 €1,093

-25.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 £1,784

$2,985 €2,566

-19.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 £1,290

$1,992 €1,713

-12.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,826 €6,728

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,658 €4,004

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,502 £2,589

$1,583 €1,361

121.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

3.79

34.83%

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

Last update for Stirling: August 29, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Stirling and $1,677 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stirling pays 121% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $97.0 in Stirling vs $63.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $283, with Stirling cheaper for home cooking.

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

Stirling vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stirling and Lisbon differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,141 vs $2,316 including rent). Stirling is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 121% higher in Stirling, 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: $1,062 in Stirling versus $1,677 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,825 in Stirling versus $717 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,141 in Stirling versus $2,316 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Stirling but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Stirling 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, Stirling 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 Stirling gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.