Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Sydney $3,152
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Sydney $4,710
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Sydney $6,268
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Sydney is roughly 42% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 133% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$16.50 €14.67

6.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$61.3 €54.5

49.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$11.27 €10.03

6.12%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.06 €2.72

33.01%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.26 €2.01

26.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.73 €1.54

30.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$3.39 €3.02

124.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$3.40 €3.02

118.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.12 €1.00

48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.86 €1.65

49.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.53 €1.36

58.17%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$3.96 €3.53

42.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$12.76 €11.35

-8.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$7.90 €7.02

22.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$16.97 €15.09

-1.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.27 €2.02

79.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.75 €1.55

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.85 €1.64

85.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$2.57 €2.28

66.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.86 €1.65

76.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.02 €1.80

13.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.44 €1.28

59.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.82 €0.73

47.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$6.56 €5.83

566.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$5.62 €5.00

146.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.28 €1.14

204.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.07 €1.84

88.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$2.35 €2.09

29.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$44.18 €39.30

240.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$3.99 €3.55

-15.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.09 €0.97

43.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$16.64 €14.81

140.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$2.28 €2.03

-38.60%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

-13.52%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$39.3K €35.0K

-23.32%

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

$223 A$320

$167 €149

32.90%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$18.80 €16.72

44.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$33.09 €29.43

68.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$46.01 €40.93

62.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$19.19 €17.07

25.01%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$9.84 €8.75

78.46%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$677 €602

224.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$16.9K €15.1K

66.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$101 €90.1

-22.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$45.76 €40.70

49.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$100.0 €88.9

11.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$123 €109

9.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$1,614 €1,436

54.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$1,197 €1,065

42.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$2,862 €2,545

72.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,990 €1,770

51.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$7,577 €6,740

73.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$4,307 €3,831

94.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$1,588 €1,412

159.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.85

51.69%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 30% $512

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 28.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 28.2% $86

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 18.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.8% $10

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 63.7% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 40.1% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 159% 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: $91.0 in Sydney vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

14:22 2:22 PM

10 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Lisbon 18,180 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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

Sydney vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Lisbon differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 159% higher in Sydney, 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: $2,500 in Sydney versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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, Sydney 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.