Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, VA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,252 in Alexandria, VA, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, VA
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Alexandria, VA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Alexandria, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,252

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alexandria, VA and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alexandria, VA and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,252 in Alexandria, VA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Alexandria, VA $3,252
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,641 in Alexandria, VA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Alexandria, VA $4,641
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,030 in Alexandria, VA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Alexandria, VA $6,030
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Alexandria, VA is roughly 47% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alexandria, VA 139% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 $20.15

$16.65 €14.95

21.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 $104

$61.7 €55.5

68.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 $11.77

$11.36 €10.20

3.61%

Cappuccino

$4.53 $4.53

$2.97 €2.67

52.53%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.29 €2.06

20.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.74 €1.56

33.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.67 $6.67

$3.40 €3.06

96.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.17 $9.17

$3.31 €2.97

177.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.16 €1.04

2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.91 €1.72

95.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.51 €1.36

151.66%

Eggs

$4.72 $4.72

$4.02 €3.61

17.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.60 $16.60

$12.94 €11.62

28.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.53 $15.53

$7.77 €6.98

99.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$17.76 €15.95

14.08%

Apples (1kg)

$6.36 $6.36

$2.30 €2.07

176.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.73 €1.56

-21.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.53 $7.53

$1.86 €1.67

304.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.04 $8.04

$2.59 €2.33

210.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.82 €1.64

20.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.97 €1.77

32.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.47 €1.32

82.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.72 €0.65

243.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.58 €5.91

50.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.42 $14.42

$5.61 €5.04

157.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.36 €1.22

24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.14 €1.92

71.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.33 €2.10

-13.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.94 $24.94

$44.68 €40.14

-44.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.85 €3.46

4.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.07 €0.96

86.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.61 $24.61

$16.46 €14.79

49.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.20 €1.98

-54.55%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.6K $30.6K

$34.2K €30.7K

-10.59%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.7K €34.8K

-33.06%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$243 $243

$161 €145

50.62%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$53.4 $53.4

$18.41 €16.54

190.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.0 $79.0

$32.74 €29.41

141.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.04 $35.04

$44.55 €40.02

-21.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$18.23 $18.23

$9.60 €8.62

89.90%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,021 $2,021

$668 €600

202.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$65.5K $65.5K

$17.6K €15.8K

271.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.76 $47.76

$102 €91.6

-53.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.58 $48.58

$44.46 €39.94

9.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$98.5 €88.5

21.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$124 €111

9.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,429 $2,429

$1,608 €1,445

51.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 $1,799

$1,190 €1,069

51.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,911 $3,911

$2,812 €2,526

39.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,729 $2,729

$2,013 €1,808

35.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,901 $5,901

$7,839 €7,042

-24.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,792 $3,792

$4,576 €4,110

-17.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,200 $6,200

$1,575 €1,415

293.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.85

72.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alexandria, VA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria, VA

$1.8K 55.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 33.8% $609

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria, VA

$479 14.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 43.1% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria, VA

$375 11.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 43.4% $163

Eating Out

Alexandria, VA

$323 9.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 24.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria, VA

$158 4.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria, VA

$72 2.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 10.9% $7.8

Getting Around

Alexandria, VA

$47 1.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 34.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,429 in Alexandria, VA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, VA pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $104 in Alexandria, VA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alexandria, VA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

23:47 11:47 PM

4 h ahead of Alexandria, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,035

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Alexandria, VA Lisbon 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria, VA
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alexandria, VA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,252 in Alexandria, VA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Alexandria, VA is about 3.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,429 in Alexandria, VA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,252 per month in Alexandria, VA versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria, VA runs roughly 44% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,252 in Alexandria, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Alexandria, VA. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Alexandria, VA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.