Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Austin, TX $2,698
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Austin, TX $4,160
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Austin, TX $5,622
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 23% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$17.04 €15.15

21.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$62.3 €55.4

35.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$11.02 €9.80

9.53%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.12 €2.78

75.64%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.27 €2.02

67.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.74 €1.55

41.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.42 €3.04

135.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.74 €3.33

137.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.17 €1.04

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.86 €1.66

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.54 €1.37

118.83%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.06 €3.61

6.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.91 €11.49

1.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$7.90 €7.03

79.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.64 €15.69

-7.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.26 €2.01

101.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.75 €1.55

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.89 €1.68

149.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.56 €2.27

62.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.85 €1.64

39.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.97 €1.75

19.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.45 €1.29

22.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.77 €0.69

177.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$6.71 €5.97

50.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$5.67 €5.04

167.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.37 €1.22

105.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.11 €1.88

63.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.32 €2.07

-33.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$44.43 €39.52

-7.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.95 €3.51

-29.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.05 €0.93

52.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$17.15 €15.26

100.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.19 €1.95

-57.08%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$33.8K €30.0K

0.58%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.3K €34.0K

-30.05%

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

$223 $223

$164 €146

35.92%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$18.48 €16.43

218.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$32.96 €29.32

114.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$45.87 €40.80

25.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$18.68 €16.61

-11.51%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$9.75 €8.67

46.26%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$684 €608

120.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$17.6K €15.7K

18.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$104 €92.3

-50.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$46.20 €41.09

-4.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$99.7 €88.7

-12.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$125 €111

-16.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,589 €1,414

22.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,169 €1,040

12.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,851 €2,536

28.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,993 €1,773

28.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$7,793 €6,932

-5.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$4,418 €3,930

-29.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$1,600 €1,423

230.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.85

76.36%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 11.2% $147

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 32.7% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 38.9% $137

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 29.3% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 30.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 24.2% $21

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 8.6% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 230% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

15:39 3:39 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Lisbon 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 230% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 8% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,202 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.