Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterloo and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Waterloo and in Lisbon: $2,233 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo
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Waterloo Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Waterloo

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,233

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,233 in Waterloo versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Waterloo $2,233
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,225 in Waterloo versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Waterloo $3,225
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,218 in Waterloo versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Waterloo $4,218
Lisbon $4,319

Monthly costs are close between Waterloo and Lisbon; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.88

$16.50 €14.67

6.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 CA$78.9

$61.3 €54.5

-8.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 CA$13.57

$11.27 €10.03

-14.82%

Cappuccino

$2.97 CA$4.20

$3.06 €2.72

-2.94%

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

$2.00 CA$2.83

$2.26 €2.01

-11.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.73 €1.54

-21.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 CA$7.03

$3.39 €3.02

46.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 CA$8.08

$3.40 €3.02

67.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 CA$2.75

$1.12 €1.00

74.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 CA$3.32

$1.86 €1.65

26.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 CA$3.40

$1.53 €1.36

56.86%

Eggs

$2.73 CA$3.86

$3.96 €3.53

-31.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.87 CA$15.37

$12.76 €11.35

-14.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.04 CA$21.26

$7.90 €7.02

90.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 CA$22.74

$16.97 €15.09

-5.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.98

$2.27 €2.02

55.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.75 €1.55

-33.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.85 €1.64

87.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 CA$5.06

$2.57 €2.28

39.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.86 €1.65

-26.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 CA$2.54

$2.02 €1.80

-10.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 CA$2.42

$1.44 €1.28

18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$0.82 €0.73

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.84 CA$18.15

$6.56 €5.83

95.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 CA$14.04

$5.62 €5.00

76.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.46

$1.28 €1.14

90.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 CA$3.81

$2.07 €1.84

30.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$2.35 €2.09

14.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.7 CA$97.2

$44.18 €39.30

55.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$3.99 €3.55

-40.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.09 €0.97

63.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.07 CA$39.68

$16.64 €14.81

68.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.65

$2.28 €2.03

-49.12%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

-18.08%

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

$19.1K CA$27.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-51.31%

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

$141 CA$200

$167 €149

-15.72%

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

$29.26 CA$41.37

$18.80 €16.72

55.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.96 CA$63.6

$33.09 €29.43

35.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.59 CA$51.7

$46.01 €40.93

-20.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.38 CA$27.40

$19.19 €17.07

0.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.58 CA$16.37

$9.84 €8.75

17.68%

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

$529 CA$748

$677 €602

-21.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.7K

$16.9K €15.1K

-5.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 CA$76.2

$101 €90.1

-46.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.24 CA$42.75

$45.76 €40.70

-33.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 CA$106

$100.0 €88.9

-24.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.9 CA$103

$123 €109

-40.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 CA$2,010

$1,614 €1,436

-11.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 CA$1,646

$1,197 €1,065

-2.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,165 CA$3,060

$2,862 €2,545

-24.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 CA$2,579

$1,990 €1,770

-8.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,114 CA$7,230

$7,577 €6,740

-32.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,769 CA$6,742

$4,307 €3,831

10.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,938 CA$4,154

$1,588 €1,412

85.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

3.85

32.21%

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

Last update for Waterloo: 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

Waterloo

$1.2K 52.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 2.8% $33

Groceries & Markets

Waterloo

$343 15.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 21.4% $73

Eating Out

Waterloo

$255 11.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterloo

$215 9.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 1.9% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Waterloo

$105 4.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 59.2% $62

Getting Around

Waterloo

$91 4.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 30.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Waterloo

$60 2.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 9.9% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,422 in Waterloo and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waterloo pays 85% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56.0 in Waterloo vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $343 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Waterloo

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

5 h ahead of Waterloo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,436

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

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

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Waterloo Lisbon 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Waterloo
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

Waterloo vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 85% higher in Waterloo, 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: $1,422 in Waterloo versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 56% less than in Waterloo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Waterloo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,233 in Waterloo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Waterloo. 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, Waterloo 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.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Waterloo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.