Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varese and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Varese: $2,113 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

102

Cost of Living Index in Varese
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Varese Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Varese

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,113

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,113 in Varese versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Varese $2,113
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,466 in Varese versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Varese $3,466
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,818 in Varese versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Varese $4,818
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Varese costs roughly 4% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Varese 55% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.31

$16.65 €14.91

36.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.7

$61.7 €55.3

65.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.88

$11.36 €10.17

16.73%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.02

$2.97 €2.66

-24.24%

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

$3.54 €3.17

$2.29 €2.05

54.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.74 €1.56

-6.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.92

$3.40 €3.05

94.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.85

$3.31 €2.96

97.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.16 €1.04

47.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.91 €1.71

35.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 €3.18

$1.51 €1.35

135.10%

Eggs

$5.01 €4.48

$4.02 €3.60

24.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.22 €27.96

$12.94 €11.59

141.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.97 €11.62

$7.77 €6.96

66.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.61 €24.73

$17.76 €15.91

55.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 €2.66

$2.30 €2.06

29.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 €2.65

$1.73 €1.55

70.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 €2.78

$1.86 €1.66

67.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.98

$2.59 €2.32

28.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$1.82 €1.63

37.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.97 €1.76

9.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.47 €1.32

51.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.72 €0.65

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 €6.98

$6.58 €5.90

18.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.03 €8.09

$5.61 €5.02

60.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.36 €1.22

28.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.14 €1.91

-21.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 €2.38

$2.33 €2.09

14.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.50 €44.33

$44.68 €40.01

10.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 €4.97

$3.85 €3.45

44.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.07 €0.96

111.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.89 €35.73

$16.46 €14.74

142.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.20 €1.97

-2.27%

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

$36.9K €33.1K

$34.2K €30.6K

8.04%

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

$34.7K €31.1K

$38.7K €34.7K

-10.32%

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

$219 €197

$161 €144

36.10%

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

$12.64 €11.32

$18.41 €16.49

-31.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.52

$32.74 €29.32

0.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 €48.73

$44.55 €39.90

22.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.78 €22.19

$19.10 €17.10

29.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 €10.62

$9.60 €8.60

23.44%

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

$726 €650

$668 €598

8.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,098 €6,357

$17.6K €15.8K

-59.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.1

$102 €91.4

7.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 €50.2

$44.46 €39.82

26.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.3

$98.5 €88.2

12.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 €144

$124 €111

30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 €821

$1,608 €1,440

-42.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 €665

$1,190 €1,066

-37.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 €1,506

$2,812 €2,519

-40.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 €1,406

$2,013 €1,803

-22.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,516 €2,254

$7,839 €7,021

-67.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,712 €1,533

$4,576 €4,098

-62.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,420 €2,167

$1,575 €1,411

53.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.85

-3.12%

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

Last update for Varese: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varese

$742 35.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 60.4% $448

Groceries & Markets

Varese

$439 20.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 37.9% $166

Eating Out

Varese

$315 14.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 23% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varese

$265 12.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 19.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Varese

$197 9.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 15.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Varese

$78 3.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 18.4% $14

Getting Around

Varese

$77 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 17.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $917 in Varese and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varese pays 54% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $102 in Varese vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $439 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Varese

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

1 h behind Varese

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,511

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Varese Lisbon 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Varese
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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

Varese vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,113 in Varese and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Varese is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Varese, 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: $917 in Varese versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $726 in Varese versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 38% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Varese is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Varese and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.