Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterford and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,687 in Waterford, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Waterford
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Waterford Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Waterford

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,687

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,687 in Waterford versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Waterford $2,687
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,901 in Waterford versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Waterford $3,901
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,115 in Waterford versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Waterford $5,115
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Waterford is roughly 21% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waterford 99% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.19 €19.74

$16.50 €14.67

34.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 €81.0

$61.3 €54.5

48.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 €10.70

$11.27 €10.02

6.74%

Cappuccino

$4.15 €3.69

$3.06 €2.72

35.62%

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

$3.04 €2.70

$2.26 €2.01

34.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.73 €1.54

19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.32 €6.51

$3.39 €3.02

115.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 €5.33

$3.40 €3.02

76.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.12 €1.00

27.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.86 €1.65

25.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.53 €1.36

48.37%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.89

$3.96 €3.53

10.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.70 €13.96

$12.76 €11.35

23.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.97 €9.76

$7.90 €7.02

38.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.36 €11.89

$16.97 €15.09

-21.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.27 €2.02

29.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.75 €1.55

25.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$1.85 €1.64

65.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 €3.56

$2.57 €2.28

56.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.86 €1.65

-20.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.02 €1.80

-25.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.44 €1.28

-13.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.82 €0.73

128.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.37 €16.34

$6.56 €5.83

180.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.06 €12.50

$5.62 €5.00

150.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.74

$1.28 €1.14

140.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.07 €1.84

50.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.35 €2.09

20.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.5

$44.18 €39.29

41.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 €4.51

$3.99 €3.55

27.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.09 €0.97

30.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$54.9 €48.81

$16.64 €14.80

229.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.28 €2.03

-11.40%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$33.7K €30.0K

14.19%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

$39.3K €34.9K

-5.29%

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

$243 €217

$167 €149

45.36%

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

$21.08 €18.75

$18.80 €16.72

12.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.89 €44.37

$33.09 €29.43

50.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 €44.02

$46.01 €40.92

7.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.17 €12.60

$19.19 €17.07

-26.16%

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.08

$9.84 €8.75

72.36%

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

$985 €876

$677 €602

45.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.1 €70.4

$101 €90.0

-21.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.30 €42.96

$45.76 €40.70

5.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.1

$100.0 €88.9

9.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$123 €109

-8.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,509

$1,614 €1,435

5.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 €1,212

$1,197 €1,065

13.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,555 €2,272

$2,862 €2,545

-10.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 €1,907

$1,990 €1,770

7.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,136 €2,789

$7,577 €6,739

-58.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,573 €2,288

$4,307 €3,831

-40.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,161 €2,812

$1,588 €1,412

99.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

3.85

7.53%

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

Last update for Waterford: 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

Waterford

$1.4K 50.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 12.2% $166

Groceries & Markets

Waterford

$351 13.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 23.3% $82

Eating Out

Waterford

$332 12.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 27.1% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterford

$314 11.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 30.2% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Waterford

$157 5.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.9% $9.3

Getting Around

Waterford

$86 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 26.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Waterford

$83 3.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 21.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Waterford and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waterford pays 99% 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 Waterford vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Waterford

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

Same time as Waterford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,300

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Waterford Lisbon 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Waterford
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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

Waterford vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waterford and Lisbon differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,687 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 99% higher in Waterford, 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: $1,697 in Waterford versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $985 in Waterford 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 30% higher in Waterford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,687 in Waterford, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Waterford. 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, Waterford 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 21% less than in Waterford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.