Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uster and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,689 in Uster, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in Uster
Learn more

Uster Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Uster

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,689

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,689 in Uster versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Uster $3,689
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,289 in Uster versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Uster $5,289
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,889 in Uster versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Uster $6,889
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Uster is roughly 66% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Uster 173% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

$16.50 €14.67

82.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.7

$61.3 €54.5

95.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.34 CHF 15.10

$11.27 €10.03

62.73%

Cappuccino

$6.04 CHF 4.97

$3.06 €2.72

97.39%

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

$5.33 CHF 4.39

$2.26 €2.01

135.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 CHF 3.95

$1.73 €1.54

176.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.59 CHF 7.08

$3.39 €3.02

153.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 CHF 5.54

$3.40 €3.02

97.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$1.12 €1.00

99.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 CHF 2.75

$1.86 €1.65

79.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 CHF 3.61

$1.53 €1.36

186.93%

Eggs

$7.35 CHF 6.05

$3.96 €3.53

85.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.17 CHF 26.49

$12.76 €11.35

152.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.34 CHF 24.17

$7.90 €7.02

271.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.64 CHF 35.12

$16.97 €15.09

151.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 CHF 2.84

$2.27 €2.02

51.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$1.75 €1.55

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 CHF 2.31

$1.85 €1.64

51.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.78

$2.57 €2.28

78.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.86 €1.65

9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$2.02 €1.80

7.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$1.44 €1.28

68.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 CHF 1.10

$0.82 €0.73

62.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 CHF 8.77

$6.56 €5.83

62.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.97 CHF 10.69

$5.62 €5.00

130.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.68

$1.28 €1.14

153.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 CHF 2.75

$2.07 €1.84

61.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$2.35 €2.09

95.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 CHF 82.2

$44.18 €39.30

125.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 CHF 4.50

$3.99 €3.55

36.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$1.09 €0.97

200.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.4 CHF 48.94

$16.64 €14.81

257.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.28 €2.03

-3.95%

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

$43.3K CHF 35.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

28.49%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

$39.3K €35.0K

1.09%

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

$233 CHF 192

$167 €149

39.08%

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

$31.89 CHF 26.26

$18.80 €16.72

69.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 CHF 53.8

$33.09 €29.43

97.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 CHF 60.6

$46.01 €40.93

59.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.51 CHF 37.49

$19.19 €17.07

137.15%

Cinema Ticket

$21.75 CHF 17.92

$9.84 €8.75

121.04%

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

$1,802 CHF 1,484

$677 €602

166.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.8K

$16.9K €15.1K

92.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$164 CHF 135

$101 €90.1

62.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$86.4 CHF 71.1

$45.76 €40.70

88.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$100.0 €88.9

43.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 CHF 142

$123 €109

40.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 CHF 1,382

$1,614 €1,436

3.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 CHF 1,448

$1,197 €1,065

46.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,928 CHF 2,412

$2,862 €2,545

2.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,382 CHF 1,962

$1,990 €1,770

19.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

$7,577 €6,740

109.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,993

$4,307 €3,831

181.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,850 CHF 5,642

$1,588 €1,412

331.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

3.85

-55.32%

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

Last update for Uster: 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

Uster

$1.8K 47.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 31.9% $562

Groceries & Markets

Uster

$623 16.9%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 56.7% $353

Eating Out

Uster

$465 12.6%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 47.9% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uster

$330 9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 33.6% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Uster

$255 6.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 34.8% $89

Getting Around

Uster

$140 3.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 55% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Uster

$117 3.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 43.9% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,678 in Uster and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Uster pays 331% 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: $120 in Uster vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $623 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Uster

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

1 h behind Uster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,097

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

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

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Uster Lisbon 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Uster
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

Uster vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Uster and Lisbon differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($3,689 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 331% higher in Uster, 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: $1,678 in Uster versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,802 in Uster 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 131% higher in Uster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,689 in Uster, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Uster. 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, Uster 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 66% less than in Uster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.