Budget · 5 min read · June 2026
How Much Does It Cost to Live in Lisbon as a Digital Nomad?
Lisbon is now one of the more expensive nomad hubs in Europe. A one-bedroom apartment in Príncipe Real or Chiado costs €1,200–1,800/month. Groceries run €200–350/month, and mid-range restaurant meals average €14–20. Budget €2,500–3,500/month for a comfortable lifestyle. The Anjos and Santos neighbourhoods offer better value than tourist-heavy Chiado — and are genuinely nicer to live in long term.
Monthly costs by category
These figures are for a solo person living comfortably — a good apartment in a walkable neighbourhood, eating a mix of home cooking and restaurants, working from a coworking space a few times a week.
- Accommodation — the biggest line: €1,000–1,400 (outer neighbourhoods like Mouraria, Arroios, Anjos) to €1,400–1,800 (central Chiado, Príncipe Real, Alfama)
- Groceries — €200–350/month cooking at home; Lidl and Pingo Doce are affordable, Continente is mid-range
- Eating out — budget €10–14 for a lunch with wine at a tasca; €18–30 for dinner at a mid-range restaurant
- Coworking — €120–200/month at Second Home, Cowork Lisboa, or LACS
- Transport — €40/month Viva Viagem card covers metro, tram, and bus. An e-bike subscription is €30–40/month.
- Mobile — €15–25/month for a good data plan (NOS or Vodafone)
- Total realistic range — €2,200–3,200/month depending heavily on accommodation choice
Is Lisbon still worth it?
The price increase has pushed Lisbon past "cheap" and into "moderately expensive European city" territory. For many nomads, that's still worth it. EU residency pathways (D8 visa, D7 passive income visa), English widely spoken, world-class healthcare, stable infrastructure, and the social life of a major city — Lisbon delivers these things.
Where it struggles to justify the price: if you need to be in Europe but don't need specifically Lisbon, Budapest and Tbilisi give you nearly comparable infrastructure at 40–50% of the cost.