Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birmingham, AL and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,721 in Birmingham, AL, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham, AL
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Birmingham, AL Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Birmingham, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,721

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,721 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $2,721
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $3,995 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $3,995
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $5,269 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $5,269
Lisbon $4,319

Birmingham, AL costs about 22% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Birmingham, AL and Lisbon sit above the global median – Birmingham, AL by 102%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 $17.75

$16.50 €14.67

7.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.3 $69.3

$61.3 €54.5

13.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 $9.17

$11.27 €10.03

-18.63%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$3.06 €2.72

90.85%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$2.26 €2.01

19.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.73 €1.54

32.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.39 €3.02

48.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.40 €3.02

75.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.12 €1.00

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.86 €1.65

67.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.53 €1.36

199.35%

Eggs

$4.20 $4.20

$3.96 €3.53

6.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$12.76 €11.35

-24.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.23 $11.23

$7.90 €7.02

42.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.06 $16.06

$16.97 €15.09

-5.36%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 $6.62

$2.27 €2.02

191.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.75 €1.55

-21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.97 $7.97

$1.85 €1.64

330.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.57 €2.28

116.73%

Potato (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$1.86 €1.65

128.49%

Onion (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$2.02 €1.80

164.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.44 €1.28

95.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.82 €0.73

243.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 $10.00

$6.56 €5.83

52.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$5.62 €5.00

162.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.28 €1.14

82.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.07 €1.84

79.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.35 €2.09

-36.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 $80.4

$44.18 €39.30

81.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.99 €3.55

-25.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.09 €0.97

42.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$16.64 €14.81

77.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.28 €2.03

-58.77%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

3.28%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$39.3K €35.0K

-36.72%

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

$290 $290

$167 €149

73.22%

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

$76.1 $76.1

$18.80 €16.72

304.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$33.09 €29.43

113.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.30 $40.30

$46.01 €40.93

-12.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.07 $20.07

$19.19 €17.07

4.59%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 $16.24

$9.84 €8.75

65.04%

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

$1,354 $1,354

$677 €602

99.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K $17.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

5.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 $57.4

$101 €90.1

-43.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.36 $38.36

$45.76 €40.70

-16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$100.0 €88.9

10.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$123 €109

9.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 $1,703

$1,614 €1,436

5.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 $1,236

$1,197 €1,065

3.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,024 $3,024

$2,862 €2,545

5.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 $2,122

$1,990 €1,770

6.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,937 $2,937

$7,577 €6,740

-61.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,851 $1,851

$4,307 €3,831

-57.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,120 $3,120

$1,588 €1,412

96.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

3.85

73.77%

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

Last update for Birmingham, AL: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birmingham, AL

$1.2K 45.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 3.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birmingham, AL

$437 16.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 49.8% $218

Groceries & Markets

Birmingham, AL

$428 15.7%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 37.1% $159

Eating Out

Birmingham, AL

$297 10.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 18.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Birmingham, AL

$154 5.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.3% $13

Getting Around

Birmingham, AL

$97 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 35.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Birmingham, AL

$73 2.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 9.7% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,703 in Birmingham, AL 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 97% higher in Birmingham, AL, 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 $69.0 in Birmingham, AL versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $428 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Birmingham, AL

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

12:28 12:28 PM

6 h ahead of Birmingham, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,733

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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Between locations

Birmingham, AL Lisbon 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Birmingham, AL
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

Birmingham, AL vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,721 in Birmingham, AL, $2,223 in Lisbon – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,081 per month in Birmingham, AL 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,721 in Birmingham, AL and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 82% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Birmingham, AL at $2,721. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Birmingham, AL 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 $2,721 in Birmingham, AL. 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, Birmingham, AL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.