Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brainerd, MN and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,445 in Brainerd, MN, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Brainerd, MN
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Brainerd, MN Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Brainerd, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,445

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,445 in Brainerd, MN versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Brainerd, MN $2,445
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,439 in Brainerd, MN versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Brainerd, MN $3,439
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,433 in Brainerd, MN versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Brainerd, MN $4,433
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Brainerd, MN is roughly 10% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brainerd, MN 81% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.72 $14.72

$16.50 €14.67

-10.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.45 $37.45

$61.3 €54.5

-38.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 $10.12

$11.27 €10.03

-10.20%

Cappuccino

$1.93 $1.93

$3.06 €2.72

-36.93%

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

$2.10 $2.10

$2.26 €2.01

-7.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.73 €1.54

15.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.39 €3.02

75.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.40 €3.02

77.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.12 €1.00

-13.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.86 €1.65

71.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.53 €1.36

122.22%

Eggs

$2.54 $2.54

$3.96 €3.53

-35.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 $9.74

$12.76 €11.35

-23.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 $9.71

$7.90 €7.02

22.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$16.97 €15.09

-23.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.27 €2.02

116.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.75 €1.55

-34.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$1.85 €1.64

236.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.57 €2.28

92.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.86 €1.65

105.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.02 €1.80

76.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.44 €1.28

38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.82 €0.73

110.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.06 $12.06

$6.56 €5.83

83.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 $13.26

$5.62 €5.00

135.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.28 €1.14

33.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.07 €1.84

71.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.35 €2.09

-15.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.39 $40.39

$44.18 €39.30

-8.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.99 €3.55

-36.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.09 €0.97

44.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.90 $30.90

$16.64 €14.81

85.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.28 €2.03

-61.84%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

6.14%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$39.3K €35.0K

-35.51%

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

$226 $226

$167 €149

34.88%

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

$44.47 $44.47

$18.80 €16.72

136.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$33.09 €29.43

82.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 $42.14

$46.01 €40.93

-8.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 $8.80

$9.84 €8.75

-10.57%

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

$1,186 $1,186

$677 €602

75.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

65.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.57 $40.57

$101 €90.1

-59.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.14 $40.14

$45.76 €40.70

-12.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 $60.5

$100.0 €88.9

-39.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 $64.4

$123 €109

-47.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 $1,612

$1,614 €1,436

-0.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$1,197 €1,065

10.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,516 $2,516

$2,862 €2,545

-12.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 $2,157

$1,990 €1,770

8.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,373 $2,373

$7,577 €6,740

-68.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,390 $2,390

$4,307 €3,831

-44.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

3.85

63.90%

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

Last update for Brainerd, MN: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brainerd, MN

$1.3K 54.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 9.4% $124

Groceries & Markets

Brainerd, MN

$353 14.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 23.6% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brainerd, MN

$331 13.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 33.7% $111

Eating Out

Brainerd, MN

$229 9.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 5.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Brainerd, MN

$93 3.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 79.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Brainerd, MN

$60 2.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 10% $5.9

Getting Around

Brainerd, MN

$59 2.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 7.2% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,612 in Brainerd, MN and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37.00 in Brainerd, MN vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $353 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brainerd, MN

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

6 h ahead of Brainerd, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,722

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

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Between locations

Brainerd, MN Lisbon 6,680 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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

Brainerd, MN vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Brainerd, MN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,668 in Brainerd, MN and $3,335 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,612 in Brainerd, MN versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $37.00 in Brainerd, MN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,445 per month in Brainerd, MN versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,445 in Brainerd, MN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Brainerd, MN. 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 $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brainerd, MN 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 10% less than in Brainerd, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.