Portugal answers, cost of living
Can I live in Lisbon on 1,500 euros a month?
The rent line decides this, and Lisbon gives two very different answers depending on whether you share.
The version that works
| Line | Monthly euros |
|---|---|
| Room in a shared flat, Benfica, Marvila, Arroios or Alameda | 300 to 550 |
| Your share of electricity, gas, water, internet, plus a mobile plan | 80 to 130 |
| Groceries, cooking most meals | 180 to 280 |
| Navegante Metropolitano pass | 40 |
| Eating out, gym, everything else | the remainder |
That leaves roughly 500 to 900 euros of slack on a 1,500 euro month. It is a real Lisbon life: a cheap restaurant meal at 15 euros, a cappuccino at 2.70, and the metro and the trains to Cascais and Sintra covered by the pass. Uniplaces prices the rooms for 2026 at 300 to 450 euros in Benfica and Marvila, 350 to 500 in Arroios and 350 to 550 in Alameda.
The version that does not
Renting alone. Investropa, updated on 21 September 2026, puts the typical Lisbon T1 at 1,350 euros, in a band of 1,250 to 1,450. Numbeo's one bedroom figures are 1,419.23 euros in the centre and 1,067.20 outside it. Even the cheapest benchmark plus Numbeo's 760.90 euros of everyday spending comes to about 1,830 euros. Benfica, Lumiar, Olivais and Carnide are the cheapest parishes for a T1, and still rarely fit.
What to watch
Asking rents in Lisbon are about 3 percent lower than a year ago on Investropa's figures, while rents on signed leases keep rising: INE's median for new leases was 17.42 euros per square metre in the first quarter of 2026, up 8.2 percent. So the market has stopped climbing on listings but has not become cheap. Two costs surprise people: winter electricity, because most flats have no central heating, and the cash on signing day, about four months of rent on a T1 (see the Lisbon signing day model).
For the full monthly picture, including couples, read our Lisbon cost of living guide.
Sources
- Numbeo, cost of living in Lisbon, updated 24 September 2026 (single person 760.90 euros excluding rent, one bedroom 1,419.23 centre and 1,067.20 outside, cappuccino 2.70, pass 40), accessed .
- Uniplaces, cost of living in Lisbon 2026 (shared rooms by neighbourhood, 80 to 130 euros of utilities and mobile per person, groceries 180 to 280), accessed .
- Investropa, Lisbon rents 2026, updated 21 September 2026 (T1 about 1,350 euros, band 1,250 to 1,450, asking rents down about 3 percent year on year), accessed .
- INE, Estatísticas de Rendas da Habitação ao Nível Local, first quarter 2026, published 26 June 2026 (Lisbon median 17.42 euros per square metre on new leases, up 8.2 percent), accessed .
Facts in this answer last verified .
Read the full guide
- Cost of living in Lisbon in 2026: sourced budgets for a single, a couple and a family
Lisbon cost of living in 2026 is about 1,860 to 2,470 euros a month for a single in a T1 and 2,650 to 3,350 for a couple. Sourced rent, bills and schools.