Cost of Living in Lisbon: Cheap or Expensive? What We Spent

What’s the cost of living in Lisbon?

Is it expensive?

Is it cheap?

Or…

Is it right in the middle?

In the past, a lot of people wouldn’t have even considered visiting Portugal on their European trip. But now? People are finally discovering the beauty of this wonderful city and it has become a top destination for tourists from all over the world! With its growing popularity, the prices for a lot of things in Lisbon have naturally increased as well.

Matthew and I lived in Lisbon for 1 month as digital nomads. I’ve visited this city before and the price differences are vast, specifically for accommodation. In this blog post, we are going to share our honest cost of living in Lisbon as we have documented all of our expenses, from accommodation to groceries to cups of coffee.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of what it truly costs to live in Lisbon, Portugal.

Quick Price Overview For The Cost Of Living In Lisbon

Trying to figure out what the cost of living in Lisbon is like? We’ve got you covered!

Here’s a quick look at the prices for costs you might encounter:

🏡 Accommodation:

• Average hotel price: $109 USD per night
• Average Rent In A Nice Area: $1,600 USD per month

🚃 Transport:

• Transport (one-way tram ride): €1.60 ($1.70 USD)
• Bolt/Uber ride (10-minute ride): €2 to €5 ($2.15 to $5.30 USD)

🥙 Food:

• Street food (bifana, pastel de nata): €1.20 to €3.80 ($1.30 to $4 USD)
• Brunch Meal: €25 for 2 meals + 2 coffees ($26.60 USD)
• Standard Restaurant Meals: €11 to €22 ($12 to $23 USD)
• Date Night Restaurants: $65+ USD

🍻 Drinks:

• ☕️ Coffee (Flat-White): €3 ($3.20 USD)
• 🍺 Local beer: €2.50 ($2.65 USD)
• 🍷 Glass of Wine: €5 ($5.30 USD)

🏰 Activities:

• Sintra Palace: $44 USD
• Sunset Boat Cruise: $78 USD
• Outdoor Cinema: $29.58 USD

As you can see, the biggest expense is rent. I remember when I first visited Lisbon back in 2015, I booked a private room in an Airbnb in the absolute center of the city for less than €50 per night. That’s no longer possible, that’s for sure!

The accommodation costs can now be compared to the likes of Paris, Rome and Barcelona. That’s getting pretty high, but it all evens out in other things like transport which is VERY affordable at only €1.60 each way.

Matthew and I lived in Lisbon for a month as digital nomads. This meant we got to experience a somewhat normal Lisbon lifestyle, from buying groceries to going to your local natural wine bar.

Here’s what we spent on things like rent, food and activities for 2 people, for a month:

CATEGORY	COST (USD)
🏡 Accommodation	$1,221
🛒 Groceries	$391
🍽️ Dining Out	$604
🚋 Transport	$164
📱Phone Plan	$27
🇵🇹 Activities & Entertainment	$164
🏋️‍♀️ Gym Membership	$34.50
💻 Coworking	$41
💰 TOTAL:	$2,646.50

The cost of living in Lisbon is way more than people expect because the accommodation prices have soared through the roof. Other than rent, we actually believe Lisbon is still very affordable. As you can see, the gym we joined (Fitness Hut Lisbon) can cost as little as $34.50 for a whole month’s membership!

A lot of people want to write Lisbon off because it’s more than double for rent now BUT to be honest, once you pay that – everything else like transport, dining out and entertainment is actually still very affordable.

Is Lisbon Expensive Now In 2023 – The Real Truth

I’ll be honest with you.

Lisbon isn’t as affordable as it once was. In fact, the rental market in Lisbon has become one of the most expensive cities in Europe, with monthly rental prices averaging around €2,396 – that’s $2,546 USD!

But is Lisbon expensive now? We can’t answer that question with a 100% yes. After living in Lisbon for a month, we realized that the housing costs are going to be your biggest expense! If you don’t plan properly or early enough, you WILL pay top dollar. BUT!

Once you pay rent, we discovered that things like transport, dining out, drinks and activities could still be VERY affordable compared to other Western European countries.

For example, an Uber ride for about 10 minutes only costs around €2 to €3 ($2.15 to $3.20 USD). We found ourselves taking Uber/Bolt most of the time because it was cheaper than both of us taking public transport – isn’t that crazy?!

You can still buy a delicious pasteis de nata for €1.30 ($1.40 USD) and eat a bifana sandwich for €2.50 ($2.70 USD). In this way, Lisbon isn’t THAT expensive.

Let’s have a closer look…

A Detailed Breakdown Of The Cost Of Living In Lisbon

This is our personal cost of living in Lisbon for 1 month as digital nomads. We think this is the best way to give you a clear picture of the cost of living in Lisbon.

That’s right, we are sharing every single expense from the small things like a SIM card to the bigger things like housing prices.

REMEMBER: These are our true living expenses in Lisbon and every cost is what we budgeted. You might think it’s cheap or you might think it’s expensive, but it’s just what we spent personally!

Remember, you can always spend more or less – it all depends on the kind of lifestyle you want to live. We enjoyed brunch on the weekends, so we enjoyed that every weekend! Your cost of living in Lisbon can be what you choose it to be.

Here’s a more in-depth look at our personal cost of living in Lisbon as a digital nomad couple.

Accommodation Costs – $1,221

We got a great deal on accommodation. Matthew and I regularly stay in coliving spaces and we found this one called Same Same Coliving. We booked 6 months in advance and I believe they gave us a discount for this. We paid $1,221 for a studio apartment with a private bathroom. We also got access to a shared kitchen, community and a coworking space – which made it all very worth it!

If we didn’t find this deal? We would have easily paid at least €2,000 ($2,125 USD) for an OKAY apartment in a central location. For monthly stays, it’s very hard to get value for money. This is why Lisbon has become expensive! You pay a LOT and you don’t get much in return.

TTA TIP: If you want to lower your cost of living in Lisbon, the best thing to do is book in ADVANCE! When looking for a place, the price can change depending on where you are in the city – we wrote about where to stay in Lisbon (and where not to stay!) to help you choose the best places.

You will have way more options on Airbnb and you might get better value for money like we did. We suggest booking at least 4 to 6 months in advance for the best deals. As you can see above, there’s a one-bedroom apartment for around $1,400 which is considered a good deal in Lisbon now.

Here’s an estimation of prices you can expect in Lisbon for accommodation:

• Studio apartment in city center: $1,300+
• 1-bedroom apartment in city center: $1,800+
• 2/3 bedroom apartment in city center: $2,500+

Book early and you can still get decent deals for apartments in Lisbon. Otherwise…you’ll pay the price (quite literally)!

Grocery Costs – $391

Grocery prices in Portugal are pretty affordable compared to other Western European countries like France or the Netherlands.

The best place to buy groceries is Pingo Doce. They had a branch that was within walking distance to our coliving space and it had a decent range of items from poultry to vegetables to basic staples.

Our bill for the month was definitely lower, you will see that’s because our dining out costs were much higher. Matthew and I decided we would make 1 meal at home and have 1 meal out each day. We typically made lunch at home – and to do this we bought groceries at groceries Pingo Doce.

Here’s what some grocery items cost in Lisbon:

• Chicken Breast: €6.59/kg ($7 USD)
• Rotisserie Chicken: €7.99/kg ($8.50)
• Cherry Tomatoes: €1.59/0.35kg ($1.70 USD)
• Bell Peppers (Tricolor): €2.69 ($2.85 USD)
• Carrots: €1.12/0.5kg ($1.20 USD)
• Bananas: €2.69/kg ($2.89 USD)
• Large Eggs (Dozen): €2.34 ($2.50 USD)
• Bottle of Wine: €5 ($5.30 USD)

If you’re curious, you can check Pingo Doce’s online store for more prices.

As we had a shared kitchen, we didn’t want to make elaborate meals. We bought a rotisserie chicken, salad and vegetables mostly. Of course, we also bought lots of snacks and sauces (get a Peri Peri sauce, for sure).

You have to get the freshly squeezed orange juice. It’s the best for only €1.30!

The cost of living in Lisbon can be much less thanks to the fact that groceries are pretty affordable. If you cook at home more and don’t dine out as much as we did, your total cost of living in Lisbon could be way less than ours.

Dining Out Costs – $604

The restaurant scene in Lisbon is TOO good!

We couldn’t help ourselves! We loved going to brunch every weekend and eating out for dinner. That’s why our dining expenses in this cost of living are much higher than what most people would spend. But that’s what we enjoyed doing!

Here’s some general estimations for dining out costs in Lisbon:

• Cheap eats (eg. bifana sandwiches): €2.50 to €6 ($2.70 to $6.40 USD)
• Standard Meals: €10 to €14, not including drinks ($10.60 to $14.90 USD)
• Expensive Meals: €18 to €22, not including drinks ($19.15 to $23.40 USD)

You can definitely spend less than $600 dining out in Lisbon. We didn’t find it super expensive and that’s why we ate out pretty frequently! Here’s some of our restaurant prices to give you an idea of the cost of living in Lisbon for meals:

• Brunch at Seagull Method (aka best brunch spot): €25 (2 meals + 2 drinks)
• Ramen dinner at Panda Cantina: €26 (2 bowls + 2 Coke Zero)
• O Velho Eurico (exclusive dining room): €56 (3 plates + 2 glasses of wine)

We found that for most standard meals we were paying anywhere from €18 to €26 ($19.15 to $27.65 USD) for dinner for both of us, including a drink each. I’d say this is pretty affordable when compared to dining out in Paris, for example. O Velho Eurico is a great ‘fancier’ dining experience and we ordered 3 *delicious* meals and 2 glasses of wine. For a nice date night out, we think €56 ($59.50 USD) was pretty reasonable, especially since the food was just insane quality!

What about drinks? It’s pretty affordable! Here’s the prices we came across when we went to rooftop bars, natural wine bars or your casual pub:

• Coffee at Buna (aka best specialty coffee shop in Lisbon): €3.50 ($3.70 USD)
• Beer: €3 to €6 depending on the size ($3.20 to $6.40 USD)
• Glass of Wine: €5 to €6 ($5.30 to $6.40 USD)

Matthew always orders a flat white at coffee shops and the prices in Lisbon were very reasonable for specialty coffee. I’d say the coffee scene and prices are very similar to the specialty coffee scene in Athens. Alcoholic drink prices seem to be pretty standard across Europe!

Transport Costs – $164

Transport isn’t one of those things that will drive up your cost of living in Lisbon.

It’s one of the more affordable places to get around. The best part is that there are so many different modes of transport to choose from:

• Trams
• Buses
• Trains
• Ferries

You can buy one ticket and get on most of these transport modes which makes it very easy to track your expenses. Here’s the prices for transport in Lisbon:

• Single, one-way ticket: €1.65 ($1.75 USD)
• 24-hour pass: €6.60 ($7 USD)
• Monthly city pass: €40 ($42.50 USD)

If you’re staying in Lisbon longer than 2 days, we recommend getting the Viva Viagem card which costs an extra €0.60 (for the physical card). This makes it much easier to get around as you can just top up your card and tap through on the different modes of transport without issues!

Is there such a thing as Uber in Lisbon? Yes! Uber does exist, but we also recommend downloading a local rideshare app called Bolt. We found that Bolt had more drivers around (which meant quicker pickups) and they were just a tad bit cheaper than Uber. One of the craziest things about the cost of living in Lisbon is that a rideshare drive won’t drive up your expenses. Here’s the costs to get around via Bolt/Uber in Lisbon:

• Lisbon Airport to City Center: $9 (so affordable!!!)
• 5-minute drive around the city: $3.80+
• 10-minute drive around the city: $5.00+

See?! We often found ourselves taking a Bolt instead of public transport because it almost ends up being the same cost. We definitely loved this about living in Lisbon because it was just so affordable to get around! For a European country, we think this is a good price for transport. Obviously, when you compare it to our other cost of living guides like Guatemala or Colombia, it’s naturally going to be more, but that makes sense!

SIM Card & Pre-Paid Data Plan Costs – $27.60

Getting a SIM card in Lisbon is fairly easy. You can buy one at the airport, at the carrier stores in the city or you can go for the most convenient option and get an eSIM!

We’ve been using eSIMs for years now and it has just been the easiest solution for us. Matthew bought an eSIM plan and he chose to go with Airalo eSIMs which is one of the best eSIM providers across Europe. This is what it cost him for 1 month:

• 30 days: 10GB for $17 USD

For some reason, I went and bought a SIM card at a physical store. The local SIM cards will be cheaper than an eSIM, but again, you are paying for convenience and it’s much faster to set up. I bought a LycaMobile SIM card and this is what it cost me:

• 30 days: 15 GB for €10 ($10.60 USD)

You may also get more data for the price you pay. However, I don’t really recommend LycaMobile because the coverage just wasn’t great! We would go to Sintra on a day trip and the connection would drop out. For Portugal, we highly recommend getting an eSIM instead. And if you’re unsure what that is, here’s our complete eSIM guide.

Activities & Entertainment Costs – $163.95

You won’t get bored in Lisbon – this beautiful city has everything you can ask for. You have the beaches only 30 minutes away and the mountains only an hour away. If you want to stay in the city, there’s so many cool activities to do like visiting the LX Factory or touring one of the cool castles!

Here’s the activities we got up to in Lisbon and what they cost in total for both of us:

• Free City Walking Tour: Tip at the end
• Sunset Cruise Along The River: $78
• Sintra Day Trip: $40
• Open Air Cinema: $29.58

There are also tons of day trips from Lisbon that are worthwhile! You can rent a car, go with a tour group or take public transport. Most activities like museums and castles are pretty affordable!

We love going to the cinema so it was very exciting when we found out they had outdoor cinema experiences for less than $15! Another highlight activity we did was the sunset cruise which we carefully picked based on privacy and price. We found one on Airbnb Experiences and it cost around $78 for around 2 hours of cruising along the famous Tagus River.

There’s a lot to do and it’s very affordable for activities, making it easy not to drive up your cost of living in Lisbon but still doing plenty of things!

Gym Membership Costs – $34.50

Gyms in Lisbon can be very affordable. It all depends on which one you decide to join! There are plenty of options from low-cost fitness clubs to boutique studios. Here are some great gym options that we considered and their prices to give you a better idea:

• Low-cost gym (Fitness Hut Lisbon): from €32.50 ($34.50 USD)
• Yoga studio (Baraza Yoga Lisbon): from €110 ($116.90 USD)
• Boutique fitness studio (Amplify Lisbon): from €155 ($164.70 USD)
• All-in-one Premium Wellness Gym (Holmes Place): from €170+ ($180.65+ USD)

Matthew and I joined Fitness Hut Lisbon for 1 month. We wanted a simple, easy gym with tons of locations around the city, and for a good price – and that’s what Fitness Hut is! While the crowds were annoying at times, we DID only pay $34.50 each for a membership. The best part is that I got to join some Les Mills classes like Body Pump!

We found gym prices in Lisbon to be very reasonable for what you get. Make sure to double-check their prices and offers before joining!

Optional: Coworking – $40

Digital nomad working from Lisbon for a while? You might want to join a coworking space to find a community and get some work done. There are several plans you can choose from.

We did test out 10+ coworking spaces in Lisbon for ourselves. The Croissant app allowed us to do this by using credits for each visit instead of signing up for monthly memberships at each place. Here are what some coworking spaces cost in Lisbon:

• BASE Lisbon: from €159 ($169 USD)
• Time To Cowork: from €300 ($319 USD)
• Croissant app: from €19 ($20 USD)

You can join BASE for a 1-month membership from €159. We spent some time working from BASE but we didn’t join for a month because our coliving space included a workspace! Instead, we used the croissant app and tried a whole bunch of places, working from them for a few hours each day.

If you do get a monthly membership, your cost of living in Lisbon will rise but it’s worth it if you need a decent place to get your work done. The great thing is that there are tons of options!

Why Are Digital Nomads Living In Lisbon, Portugal?

Lisbon has become a top 5 digital nomad destination in recent years. This city has grown in popularity, with digital nomads especially, because of several reasons, including:

• A vibrant community
• Great work-life balance
• Good weather year-round
• Endless activities to do
• Lots of coworking spaces to join
• Comfortable lifestyle
• Affordable cost of living

…Although some people would debate that last point now. Other than the volatile accommodation costs, we had to see what all the hype was about and why everyone in the digital nomad circle raved about the city in Portugal.

So off we went, living in Lisbon for a month. This city quickly captured our hearts, but we wondered, “Would it be the same at the end of 4 weeks?”. Spoiler Alert: Yes, Lisbon has earned its place at the top of the nomad destinations.

Was The Cost Of Living In Lisbon Cheap Or Expensive?

When it comes to the cost of living in Lisbon, it can be cheap for certain things, but it has also become expensive in other areas.

Lisbon, Portugal has been known to be the most affordable Western European city, however, that has changed for several reasons such as a HUGE boost in tourism. Rent prices in Lisbon are starting to get close to other popular cities like Paris or Barcelona.

Once you pay rent, things like food, public transportation and entertainment are STILL very affordable compared to the other big capital cities! You can still ride an Uber for less than €5, you can eat a delicious pastel de nata for less than €2 and you can get around the city for 24 hours for less than €7!

The cost of living in Lisbon has gone up in recent years – that’s true. Our monthly costs ended up being around $2,646.50 for 2 people. When Matthew and I spent 1 month in Lisbon as digital nomads, we were expecting it to be much higher because of all the publicity surrounding the soaring prices in Lisbon. But we were pleasantly surprised to find out that (after paying for accommodation), it was still very affordable and manageable to live a GREAT lifestyle and high quality of life in Lisbon!

We hope this gives you a better idea of what the cost of living in Lisbon is like. Remember – the detailed breakdown is our PERSONAL costs that we choose to spend. You can always spend more or spend less – it’s up to you!

In fact, let us know the costs you encountered while living in Lisbon and comment below!