Living in Lisbon: cost of living, rent and salary
Updated 3 October 2026
In Lisbon, a one-bedroom home costs about €800 a month. To keep the lifestyle of someone living in London, you need about €1,530 net a month. Here is the rent by type of home, the month’s budget line by line, and the sources.
Example: the same life, elsewhere
A single person living in London in a one-bedroom home, with the average spending of a similar household, spends about £3,350 a month. To keep the same life in Lisbon, they would need about €1,530 net a month locally (−61%), i.e. 1.6 times the national minimum wage.
For a couple with two children in a two-bedroom home (state school), it would take about €2,750 net a month in Lisbon, i.e. 2.9 times the national minimum wage.
Calculated on 3 October 2026 with the official averages of London and the destination’s prices. Yours depends on your city, home and habits: the calculator works it out in a few minutes, no sign-up.
Rent in Lisbon
A one-bedroom home in Lisbon costs about 65% more than the median of the 9 other cities tracked in the country.
| Type of home | Outside sought-after areas |
|---|---|
| Studio | €500 |
| 1 bedroom | €800 |
| 2 bedrooms | €1,150 |
| 3-bedroom house | €1,690 |
Monthly rent in EUR, outside the most sought-after areas. Studio 28 m², 1 bedroom 45 m², 2 bedrooms 65 m², house 95 m² where rent is known per m². INE, median rent per m² of new leases signed in 2024 in each municipality, updated with the Eurostat rent index (August 2026).
A month’s budget in Lisbon, line by line
For a single person renting a one-bedroom home and keeping the average habits of a household in London, here is what each line would cost in Lisbon.
| Item | London | Lisbon | Lisbon (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | £2,550 | £680 | €800 |
| Housing tax | £50 | £0 | €0 |
| Electricity, water, gas | £100 | £80 | €90 |
| Groceries | £200 | £200 | €240 |
| Restaurants and outings | £110 | £70 | €80 |
| Transport | £100 | £50 | €60 |
| Health | £40 | £0 | €0 |
| Phone and internet | £50 | £60 | €70 |
| Sport | £60 | £50 | €50 |
| Clothes | £60 | £60 | €70 |
| Hairdresser and beauty | £40 | £30 | €30 |
| Trips back to London | £0 | £30 | €30 |
| Total per month | £3,350 | £1,300 | €1,530 |
Estimate: lines without an answer take the official average of the departure city, then the destination’s prices. The calculator starts from your real amounts.
Visa, healthcare, school, electricity
These rules are the same across the country: find them on the page Living in Portugal.
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Lisbon?
For a single person keeping the same life as in London: about €1,530 net a month, i.e. 1.6 times the national minimum wage.
How much is rent in Lisbon?
About €800 a month for a one-bedroom home and €1,150 for a two-bedroom home, according to INE, median rent per m² of new leases signed in 2024 in each municipality, updated with the Eurostat rent index.
Is it expensive to live in Lisbon?
In London, a single person spends about £3,350 a month; with the same life in Lisbon, it would be about £1,300 (−61%).