Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethlehem, PA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,630 in Bethlehem, PA, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem, PA
Learn more

Bethlehem, PA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Bethlehem, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,630

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $2,630
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $3,712 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $3,712
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $4,794 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $4,794
Lisbon $4,319

Bethlehem, PA costs about 18% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bethlehem, PA and Lisbon sit above the global median – Bethlehem, PA by 95%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 $18.12

$16.50 €14.67

9.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 $50.4

$61.3 €54.5

-17.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.18 $13.18

$11.27 €10.02

16.95%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.06 €2.72

64.71%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$2.26 €2.01

31.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.73 €1.54

15.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.22 $5.22

$3.39 €3.02

53.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$3.40 €3.02

139.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.12 €1.00

4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.86 €1.65

109.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.53 €1.36

155.56%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$3.96 €3.53

2.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.17 $12.17

$12.76 €11.35

-4.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.53 $16.53

$7.90 €7.02

109.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.47 $18.47

$16.97 €15.09

8.84%

Apples (1kg)

$6.29 $6.29

$2.27 €2.02

177.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.75 €1.55

-24.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.85 €1.64

118.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.57 €2.28

66.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.86 €1.65

19.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.02 €1.80

29.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.44 €1.28

88.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.82 €0.73

123.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.67 $9.67

$6.56 €5.83

47.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.69 $17.69

$5.62 €5.00

214.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.28 €1.14

38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 $6.86

$2.07 €1.84

231.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.29

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.99 €3.55

22.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.09 €0.97

177.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.21 $35.21

$16.64 €14.80

111.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.28 €2.03

-59.21%

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

$22.6K $22.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

-32.96%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$39.3K €34.9K

-38.20%

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

$203 $203

$167 €149

20.94%

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

$39.54 $39.54

$18.80 €16.72

110.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.2 $79.2

$33.09 €29.43

139.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 $36.73

$46.01 €40.92

-20.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$9.84 €8.75

54.07%

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

$1,004 $1,004

$677 €602

48.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$64.9K $64.9K

$16.9K €15.0K

283.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$101 €90.0

-47.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.05 $30.05

$45.76 €40.70

-34.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 $66.1

$100.0 €88.9

-33.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.2 $84.2

$123 €109

-31.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 $1,561

$1,614 €1,435

-3.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$1,197 €1,065

14.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,225 $2,225

$2,862 €2,545

-22.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 $2,155

$1,990 €1,770

8.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,149 $2,149

$7,577 €6,739

-71.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,123 $2,123

$4,307 €3,831

-50.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,507 $3,507

$1,588 €1,412

120.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

3.85

68.83%

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

Last update for Bethlehem, PA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bethlehem, PA

$1.4K 52.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 12.8% $176

Groceries & Markets

Bethlehem, PA

$437 16.6%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 38.3% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethlehem, PA

$321 12.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 31.7% $102

Eating Out

Bethlehem, PA

$307 11.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 21.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Bethlehem, PA

$105 4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 58.3% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Bethlehem, PA

$67 2.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 2% $1.4

Getting Around

Bethlehem, PA

$20 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 214% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Bethlehem, PA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 121% higher in Bethlehem, PA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Bethlehem, PA versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $437 in Bethlehem, PA vs $269 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethlehem, PA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

15:45 3:45 PM

5 h ahead of Bethlehem, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,624

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bethlehem, PA Lisbon 5,540 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bethlehem, PA
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

Bethlehem, PA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,630 in Bethlehem, PA, $2,223 in Lisbon – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,945 per month in Bethlehem, PA and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Bethlehem, PA and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Bethlehem, PA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Bethlehem, PA at $2,630. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethlehem, PA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,223 in Lisbon to $2,630 in Bethlehem, PA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bethlehem, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.