Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swords and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,598 in Swords, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,598 in Swords versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Swords $2,598
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,804 in Swords versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Swords $3,804
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,010 in Swords versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Swords $5,010
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Swords is roughly 18% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swords 91% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 €19.91

$16.65 €14.96

33.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 €88.6

$61.7 €55.5

59.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.86

$11.36 €10.20

16.20%

Cappuccino

$4.93 €4.43

$2.97 €2.67

65.99%

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

$2.98 €2.68

$2.29 €2.06

30.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.74 €1.56

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 €7.21

$3.40 €3.06

136.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 €6.05

$3.31 €2.97

103.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.16 €1.04

36.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.91 €1.72

23.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 €1.83

$1.51 €1.36

34.44%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

$4.02 €3.61

5.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 €8.89

$12.94 €11.62

-23.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 €9.76

$7.77 €6.99

39.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 €11.94

$17.76 €15.96

-25.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.30 €2.07

19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.73 €1.56

31.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.51

$1.86 €1.67

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.75

$2.59 €2.33

61.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.82 €1.64

2.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.33

$1.97 €1.77

-25.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.47 €1.32

-11.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.72 €0.65

163.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.52 €18.44

$6.58 €5.92

211.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 €12.03

$5.61 €5.04

138.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 €3.01

$1.36 €1.22

146.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.10

$2.14 €1.92

61.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.33 €2.10

-3.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 €4.49

$3.85 €3.46

29.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.07 €0.96

37.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.35 €33.55

$16.46 €14.79

126.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.20 €1.98

-1.82%

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

$38.6K €34.7K

$34.2K €30.7K

12.84%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$38.7K €34.8K

-1.89%

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

$246 €221

$161 €145

52.78%

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

$18.68 €16.78

$18.41 €16.54

1.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.97

$32.74 €29.41

56.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 €36.46

$44.55 €40.03

-8.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 €12.07

$9.60 €8.62

39.90%

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

$1,010 €907

$668 €600

51.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,183 €4,656

$17.6K €15.8K

-70.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €90.0

$102 €91.7

-1.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.06 €43.18

$44.46 €39.95

8.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.1

$98.5 €88.5

9.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$124 €111

-8.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 €1,398

$1,608 €1,445

-3.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,206

$1,190 €1,069

12.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,584 €2,322

$2,812 €2,527

-8.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,165 €1,945

$2,013 €1,809

7.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,721 €4,242

$7,839 €7,043

-39.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,447 €3,097

$4,576 €4,111

-24.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.85

-4.42%

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

Last update for Swords: 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

Swords

$1.3K 51.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 11.3% $152

Eating Out

Swords

$350 13.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 30.7% $108

Groceries & Markets

Swords

$335 12.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 18.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swords

$316 12.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 32.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Swords

$166 6.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Swords

$67 2.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 5.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Swords

$21 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 196% $42

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 $1,556 in Swords and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $99 in Swords vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Swords

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

Same time as Swords

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,776

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Swords Lisbon 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Swords
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

Swords vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Swords and Lisbon differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,598 vs $2,210 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,897 in Swords and $3,315 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,556 in Swords versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Swords. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,598 per month in Swords versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Swords 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.