Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between York and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in York and in Lisbon: $2,187 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

York
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,187
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,187 in York versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • York $2,187
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,476 in York versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • York $3,476
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,765 in York versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • York $4,765
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in York costs roughly 2% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: York 62% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
York
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.73 £20.05
$16.50 €14.67
62.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.3 £66.2
$61.3 €54.5
44.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 £7.91
$11.27 €10.03
-6.48%
Cappuccino
$4.97 £3.73
$3.06 €2.72
62.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 £2.01
$2.26 €2.01
18.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 £1.36
$1.73 €1.54
4.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.49 £4.87
$3.39 €3.02
91.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.52 £4.89
$3.40 €3.02
91.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
York
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.12 €1.00
46.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 £1.14
$1.86 €1.65
-18.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 £1.47
$1.53 €1.36
28.10%
Eggs
$3.69 £2.77
$3.96 €3.53
-6.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.80 £6.60
$12.76 €11.35
-31.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.16 £6.12
$7.90 €7.02
3.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.91 £7.43
$16.97 €15.09
-41.60%
Apples (1kg)
$3.32 £2.49
$2.27 €2.02
46.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 £1.46
$1.75 €1.55
11.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.35 £1.76
$1.85 €1.64
27.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.69 £3.52
$2.57 €2.28
82.49%
Potato (1kg)
$3.04 £2.28
$1.86 €1.65
63.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.63 £1.23
$2.02 €1.80
-19.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 £1.11
$1.44 €1.28
2.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 £1.06
$0.82 €0.73
71.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.35 £17.52
$6.56 €5.83
255.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.96 £8.97
$5.62 €5.00
112.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.05 £3.04
$1.28 €1.14
216.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.73 £3.55
$2.07 €1.84
128.50%
🚌 Getting Around
York
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.91 £2.93
$2.35 €2.09
66.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$114 £85.7
$44.18 €39.30
158.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.38 £3.29
$3.99 €3.55
9.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.67 £2.00
$1.09 €0.97
144.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.02 £14.27
$16.64 €14.81
14.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.01 £1.51
$2.28 €2.03
-11.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.6K £28.2K
$33.7K €30.0K
11.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.8K £29.9K
$39.3K €35.0K
1.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
York
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$200 £150
$167 €149
19.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.63 £12.48
$18.80 €16.72
-11.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.71 £35.79
$33.09 €29.43
44.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
York
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.89 £36.68
$46.01 €40.93
6.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.91 £17.94
$19.19 €17.07
24.60%
Cinema Ticket
$13.03 £9.78
$9.84 €8.75
32.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
York
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,627 £1,220
$677 €602
140.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K £12.1K
$16.9K €15.1K
-4.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
York
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.8 £45.64
$101 €90.1
-39.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.10 £27.83
$45.76 €40.70
-18.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.9 £57.7
$100.0 €88.9
-23.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 £58.9
$123 €109
-36.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
York
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,226 £920
$1,614 €1,436
-24.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$917 £688
$1,197 €1,065
-23.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,502 £1,877
$2,862 €2,545
-12.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,875 £1,407
$1,990 €1,770
-5.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,897 £3,674
$7,577 €6,740
-35.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,877 £2,908
$4,307 €3,831
-9.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
York
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,465 £2,600
$1,588 €1,412
118.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.61
3.85
45.71%

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

Last update for York: 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
York
$917
Lisbon
$1.2K 30.6% $280
Eating Out
York
$369
Lisbon
$242 34.3% $126
Groceries & Markets
York
$301
Lisbon
$269 10.5% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
York
$265
Lisbon
$219 17.1% $45
Getting Around
York
$148
Lisbon
$63 57.3% $85
Clothing & Footwear
York
$114
Lisbon
$166 46% $52
Sport & Entertainment
York
$75
Lisbon
$66 12.4% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,226 in York and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

York pays 118% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88.0 in York vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 York
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
15:54 3:54 PM
15:54 3:54 PM
Same time as York
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
137,000
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • York Lisbon 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • York
  • 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
York vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in York and in Lisbon?
York and Lisbon differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,187 vs $2,223 including rent). York is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: York or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 118% higher in York, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in York and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,226 in York versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between York and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $1,627 in York versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $2,187 in York versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in York but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes York the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between York and Lisbon?
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.
Is York or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, York 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.
Where should expats move: York or Lisbon?
Expats usually find York gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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