Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boston, MA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $4,275 in Boston, MA, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

204

Cost of Living Index in Boston, MA
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Boston, MA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Boston, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,275

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,275 per month in Boston, MA vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Boston, MA $4,275
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $6,046 per month in Boston, MA vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Boston, MA $6,046
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $7,816 per month in Boston, MA vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Boston, MA $7,816
Lisbon $4,341

Boston, MA costs about 93% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Boston, MA and Lisbon sit above the global median – Boston, MA by 214%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.91 $27.91

$16.65 €14.96

67.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$61.7 €55.5

97.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$11.36 €10.20

4.49%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$2.97 €2.67

79.12%

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

$2.99 $2.99

$2.29 €2.06

30.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.74 €1.56

31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.15 $8.15

$3.40 €3.06

139.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.95 $8.95

$3.31 €2.97

170.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.16 €1.04

4.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.91 €1.72

130.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$1.51 €1.36

378.81%

Eggs

$6.08 $6.08

$4.02 €3.61

51.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.44 $15.44

$12.94 €11.62

19.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.08 $14.08

$7.77 €6.99

81.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.08 $19.08

$17.76 €15.96

7.43%

Apples (1kg)

$7.18 $7.18

$2.30 €2.07

212.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.73 €1.56

15.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.86 €1.67

188.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$2.59 €2.33

196.91%

Potato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.82 €1.64

150.55%

Onion (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.97 €1.77

103.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.47 €1.32

96.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.72 €0.65

313.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.39 $13.39

$6.58 €5.92

103.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.33 $15.33

$5.61 €5.04

173.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.36 €1.22

127.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.14 €1.92

113.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.33 €2.10

2.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 $89.5

$44.68 €40.14

100.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.85 €3.46

-32.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.07 €0.96

68.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 $27.46

$16.46 €14.79

66.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.20 €1.98

-47.73%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$34.2K €30.7K

-14.00%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K €34.8K

-32.81%

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

$243 $243

$161 €145

51.03%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$18.41 €16.54

204.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.2 $84.2

$32.74 €29.41

157.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 $68.0

$44.55 €40.03

52.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.11 $41.11

$19.10 €17.16

115.24%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 $15.68

$9.60 €8.62

63.33%

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

$2,653 $2,653

$668 €600

297.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K $36.5K

$17.6K €15.8K

107.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 $73.9

$102 €91.7

-27.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 $51.9

$44.46 €39.95

16.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$98.5 €88.5

12.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$124 €111

25.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,400 $3,400

$1,608 €1,445

111.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 $2,587

$1,190 €1,069

117.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,840 $5,840

$2,812 €2,527

107.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,908 $3,908

$2,013 €1,809

94.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.0K $14.0K

$7,839 €7,043

78.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,470 $6,470

$4,576 €4,111

41.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,753 $5,753

$1,575 €1,415

265.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

3.85

72.99%

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

Last update for Boston, MA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boston, MA

$2.6K 60.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 54% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Boston, MA

$515 12.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 47.2% $243

Eating Out

Boston, MA

$403 9.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 39.7% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boston, MA

$384 9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 44.7% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Boston, MA

$176 4.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.8% $10

Getting Around

Boston, MA

$111 2.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 42.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Boston, MA

$99 2.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 35.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,400 in Boston, MA versus $1,608 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 in Boston, MA are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Boston, MA versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $515 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Boston, MA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

11:12 11:12 AM

4 h ahead of Boston, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

675,647

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Boston, MA Lisbon 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Boston, MA
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

Boston, MA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boston, MA costs about 93% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,413 per month in Boston, MA and $3,315 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,608 there versus $3,400 in Boston, MA.

Groceries cost about 89% more in Boston, MA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Boston, MA and $62 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,210, than in Boston, MA at $4,275. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Boston, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,210 versus $4,275 in Boston, MA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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