Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zermatt and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,441 in Zermatt, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Zermatt
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Zermatt Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Zermatt

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,441

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,441 in Zermatt versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Zermatt $3,441
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,226 in Zermatt versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Zermatt $5,226
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,010 in Zermatt versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Zermatt $7,010
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Zermatt is roughly 56% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zermatt 153% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.72 CHF 24.66

$16.65 €14.95

78.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 CHF 101

$61.7 €55.5

96.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.42 CHF 15.28

$11.36 €10.20

62.15%

Cappuccino

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$2.97 €2.67

98.99%

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

$5.40 CHF 4.48

$2.29 €2.06

135.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 CHF 4.04

$1.74 €1.56

179.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.92 CHF 7.40

$3.40 €3.06

162.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 CHF 6.11

$3.31 €2.97

122.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.84

$1.16 €1.04

90.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 CHF 2.97

$1.91 €1.72

87.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 CHF 3.08

$1.51 €1.36

145.70%

Eggs

$7.90 CHF 6.56

$4.02 €3.61

96.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.11 CHF 21.66

$12.94 €11.62

101.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.74 CHF 23.01

$7.77 €6.98

257.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.83 CHF 33.87

$17.76 €15.95

129.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.97

$2.30 €2.07

55.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 CHF 1.71

$1.73 €1.56

19.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 CHF 2.30

$1.86 €1.67

48.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.85

$2.59 €2.33

79.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CHF 1.49

$1.82 €1.64

-1.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 CHF 1.72

$1.97 €1.77

5.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$1.47 €1.32

52.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CHF 1.04

$0.72 €0.65

73.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 CHF 8.99

$6.58 €5.91

64.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 CHF 10.74

$5.61 €5.04

130.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 CHF 2.25

$1.36 €1.22

99.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.67

$2.14 €1.92

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.25 CHF 3.53

$2.33 €2.10

82.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CHF 83.5

$44.68 €40.14

125.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 CHF 6.43

$3.85 €3.46

101.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.63 CHF 3.84

$1.07 €0.96

332.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$74.8 CHF 62.1

$16.46 €14.79

354.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.89

$2.20 €1.98

3.64%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.6K

$34.2K €30.7K

14.90%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

$38.7K €34.8K

2.56%

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

$281 CHF 233

$161 €145

74.01%

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

$32.46 CHF 26.93

$18.41 €16.54

76.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.9 CHF 47.17

$32.74 €29.41

73.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.8 CHF 72.9

$44.55 €40.02

97.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.76 CHF 38.79

$19.10 €17.16

144.82%

Cinema Ticket

$23.47 CHF 19.47

$9.60 €8.62

144.48%

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

$2,954 CHF 2,451

$668 €600

342.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.4K CHF 26.9K

$17.6K €15.8K

84.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 115

$102 €91.6

36.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 CHF 47.95

$44.46 €39.94

30.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$162 CHF 135

$98.5 €88.5

64.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 CHF 157

$124 €111

52.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 CHF 1,841

$1,608 €1,445

37.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 CHF 1,236

$1,190 €1,069

25.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,968 CHF 2,462

$2,812 €2,526

5.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,501 CHF 2,074

$2,013 €1,808

24.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.6K CHF 13.8K

$7,839 €7,042

112.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.5K CHF 10.4K

$4,576 €4,110

174.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,590 CHF 7,956

$1,575 €1,415

508.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

3.85

-46.23%

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

Last update for Zermatt: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zermatt

$1.5K 43.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 20.1% $299

Groceries & Markets

Zermatt

$588 17.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 53.7% $315

Eating Out

Zermatt

$464 13.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 47.8% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zermatt

$370 10.8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 42.6% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Zermatt

$247 7.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 32.8% $81

Getting Around

Zermatt

$148 4.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 57.4% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Zermatt

$135 3.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 52.7% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,219 in Zermatt and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zermatt pays about 6.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $121 in Zermatt vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $588 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zermatt

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

21:07 9:07 PM

1 h behind Zermatt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,800

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Zermatt Lisbon 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zermatt
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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

Zermatt vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,441 in Zermatt and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Zermatt is about 6.1 times higher, 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: $2,219 in Zermatt versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,954 in Zermatt versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 116% higher in Zermatt. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,441 in Zermatt, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Zermatt. 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, Zermatt and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Zermatt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.