Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swindon and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,768 in Swindon, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Swindon, United Kingdom
Lisbon, Portugal
Swindon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,768
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,768 in Swindon versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Swindon $2,768
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,814 in Swindon versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Swindon $3,814
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,861 in Swindon versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Swindon $4,861
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Swindon is roughly 25% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swindon 103% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Swindon
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.27 £15.14
$16.65 €14.92
21.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.0 £47.07
$61.7 €55.3
2.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.72 £8.01
$11.36 €10.18
-5.63%
Cappuccino
$4.79 £3.58
$2.97 €2.66
61.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12 £2.33
$2.29 €2.05
36.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 £1.20
$1.74 €1.56
-8.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.72 £4.27
$3.40 €3.05
68.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.62 £3.45
$3.31 €2.97
39.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Swindon
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 £1.25
$1.16 €1.04
43.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.96 £1.46
$1.91 €1.71
2.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.87 £1.40
$1.51 €1.36
23.84%
Eggs
$4.49 £3.35
$4.02 €3.60
11.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.48 £7.08
$12.94 €11.59
-26.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.18 £6.86
$7.77 €6.97
18.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.45 £10.80
$17.76 €15.92
-18.64%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.32
$2.30 €2.06
35.22%
Banana (1kg)
$2.47 £1.84
$1.73 €1.55
42.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.08 £3.05
$1.86 €1.66
119.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.24 £3.17
$2.59 €2.32
63.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 £1.51
$1.82 €1.63
10.99%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.30
$1.97 €1.76
-12.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.97 £1.47
$1.47 €1.32
34.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 £1.28
$0.72 €0.65
138.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.34 £17.44
$6.58 €5.90
254.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.27 £11.41
$5.61 €5.02
172.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.86 £2.88
$1.36 €1.22
183.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.82 £2.86
$2.14 €1.91
78.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Swindon
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.09 £3.06
$2.33 €2.09
75.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.9 £73.9
$44.68 €40.04
121.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.79 £5.07
$3.85 €3.45
76.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.69 £1.26
$1.07 €0.96
57.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.54 £16.09
$16.46 €14.75
30.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 £1.52
$2.20 €1.97
-7.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.0K £29.2K
$34.2K €30.6K
14.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.5K
$38.7K €34.7K
5.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Swindon
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$636 £475
$161 €144
294.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.23 £12.12
$18.41 €16.50
-11.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.50 £33.25
$32.74 €29.34
35.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Swindon
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.18 £25.54
$44.55 €39.92
-23.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.11 £17.26
$19.10 €17.11
20.99%
Cinema Ticket
$17.61 £13.16
$9.60 €8.60
83.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Swindon
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,966 £1,469
$668 €598
194.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,376 £4,016
$17.6K €15.8K
-69.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Swindon
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.0 £66.5
$102 €91.4
-12.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.92 £32.81
$44.46 €39.85
-1.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.8 £61.1
$98.5 €88.3
-16.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.5 £63.9
$124 €111
-30.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Swindon
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,262 £943
$1,608 €1,441
-21.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,085 £811
$1,190 €1,066
-8.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,027 £1,515
$2,812 €2,520
-27.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,698 £1,268
$2,013 €1,804
-15.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,289 £3,951
$7,839 €7,025
-32.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,741 £2,795
$4,576 €4,100
-18.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Swindon
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,969 £2,218
$1,575 €1,411
88.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.59
3.85
45.19%

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

Last update for Swindon: 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
Swindon
$1.1K
Lisbon
$1.2K 9.7% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Swindon
$697
Lisbon
$212 69.5% $484
Groceries & Markets
Swindon
$343
Lisbon
$272 20.6% $70
Eating Out
Swindon
$309
Lisbon
$243 21.4% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Swindon
$135
Lisbon
$166 22.8% $31
Getting Around
Swindon
$131
Lisbon
$63 51.6% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Swindon
$69
Lisbon
$64 8.2% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,262 in Swindon and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $63 in Swindon vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Swindon
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
03:10 3:10 AM
03:10 3:10 AM
Same time as Swindon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,638
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Swindon Lisbon 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Swindon
  • 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
Swindon vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Swindon and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,768 in Swindon and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Swindon or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 89% higher in Swindon, 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 Swindon and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,262 in Swindon versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Swindon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Swindon or Lisbon?
All in, you’ll spend $2,768 per month in Swindon versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How does quality of life compare between Swindon 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.
How do I decide between Swindon and Lisbon?
It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Swindon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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