Cost of Living in Lisbon - Here's What You Should Know

Even though Lisbon is the Capital of Portugal, you might be surprised to find out that living here might be half as expensive as it is in other metropolises like London or Berlin.

 

This means you can enjoy the city’s rich history, multicultural people, fantastic job opportunities and more and not break the bank doing it.

 

Here is a minor breakdown of the average costs of food and groceries, transportation, and apartments for rent in Porto.

 

 

Starting with groceries, the prices for many seasonal foods will be different when they are in season as opposed to when they are not.

 

One way you can save money is by going shopping for your fruit and veg to local markets in Lisbon, of which there are many in Lisbon.

 

Things like a loaf of fresh bread, a kilo of rice or a kilo of potatoes all average around €1, while other things like a chicken fillet might be around €5 per kilo.

 

If you want to enjoy some great restaurants in Lisbon, you’ll pay about €10 in an inexpensive restaurant and about double that for a three-course meal in a mid-range restaurant.

 

And if you want a night out on the town, a domestic draught beer will be around €2, although it will depend a lot on the establishment and the brand of the beer.

 

 

It is an excellent public transport in Lisbon with trams, busses and metro, all of which have an integrated ticket system so you can hop from one type of transportation to another without a problem.

 

Depending on your discounts, a one-way ticket will be around €1,7, while a monthly pass for unlimited public transport access is roughly €40. If you know you’ll be in Lisbon for longer, make sure to check out yearly passes as well.

 

If you want to catch a cab, you’ll pay around €3,30 for the trip's start and then about €15 for each hour.

 

But if you’d rather drive your car, a litre of gasoline will be around €1,60, depending on the gas station.

 

 

The prices of accommodation in Lisbon largely depend on the apartment's location and size. So if you want to rent a large, three-bedroom apartment in the city centre, you’ll be looking at prices of around €1600 per month, while if you want a small, one-bedroom apartment on Lisbon’s outskirts, you’ll see the price drop significantly, to about €650 per month.

 

 

However, you have to count utilities on top of that. Things like gas, electricity, water, and garbage will average around €130 per month, depending on how much you use them.

 

If you want an excellent internet connection of 60 Mbps or unlimited data, you’ll have to pay around €35 per month on top of that. However, there are multiple providers, so you can always find the right fit for you.