Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, WA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,779 in Arlington, WA, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, WA
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Arlington, WA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Arlington, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,779

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arlington, WA 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 Arlington, WA and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,779 in Arlington, WA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Arlington, WA $2,779
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,295 in Arlington, WA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Arlington, WA $4,295
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,810 in Arlington, WA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Arlington, WA $5,810
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Arlington, WA is roughly 26% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arlington, WA 104% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.91 $24.91

$16.65 €14.85

49.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 $98.4

$61.7 €55.1

59.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.96 $13.96

$11.36 €10.13

22.89%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$2.97 €2.65

98.65%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$2.29 €2.04

28.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.74 €1.55

74.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 $6.92

$3.40 €3.04

103.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.31 €2.95

109.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.16 €1.03

-11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.91 €1.71

93.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.51 €1.35

175.50%

Eggs

$3.97 $3.97

$4.02 €3.59

-1.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.96 $13.96

$12.94 €11.54

7.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$7.77 €6.94

66.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.69 $22.69

$17.76 €15.85

27.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.30 €2.06

120.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.73 €1.55

6.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.86 €1.66

125.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.59 €2.31

82.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.82 €1.62

10.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.97 €1.76

21.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.47 €1.31

82.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.72 €0.65

231.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.08 $12.08

$6.58 €5.87

83.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.15 $15.15

$5.61 €5.00

170.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.36 €1.22

51.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.14 €1.91

103.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.85 €3.43

-31.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.07 €0.95

54.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.89 $29.89

$16.46 €14.69

81.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.20 €1.96

-35.91%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.2K €30.5K

-19.26%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$38.7K €34.5K

-31.64%

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

$294 $294

$161 €144

82.64%

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

$67.9 $67.9

$18.41 €16.43

268.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.9 $86.9

$32.74 €29.21

165.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.47 $32.47

$44.55 €39.74

-27.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$17.68 $17.68

$9.60 €8.56

84.17%

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

$2,749 $2,749

$668 €596

311.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$17.6K €15.7K

77.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 $50.3

$102 €91.0

-50.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 $55.7

$44.46 €39.67

25.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$98.5 €87.9

3.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$124 €110

9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 $1,519

$1,608 €1,435

-5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$1,190 €1,062

7.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,805 $2,805

$2,812 €2,509

-0.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,531 $2,531

$2,013 €1,796

25.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,787 $5,787

$1,575 €1,405

267.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

3.85

76.88%

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

Last update for Arlington, WA: 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

Arlington, WA

$1.3K 46.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 7.1% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, WA

$449 16.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 52.7% $237

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, WA

$431 15.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 36.8% $159

Eating Out

Arlington, WA

$384 13.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 36.9% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, WA

$155 5.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 7.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, WA

$68 2.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 6% $4.1

Getting Around

Arlington, WA

$11 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 480% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,519 in Arlington, WA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, WA pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Arlington, WA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, WA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

18:25 6:25 PM

8 h ahead of Arlington, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Arlington, WA Lisbon 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, WA
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

Arlington, WA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,779 in Arlington, WA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Arlington, WA is about 3.7 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: $1,519 in Arlington, WA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Arlington, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,779 per month in Arlington, WA versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Arlington, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.