Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brea, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $3,716 in Brea, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Brea, CA
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Brea, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,716

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Brea, CA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Brea, CA $3,716
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,124 in Brea, CA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Brea, CA $5,124
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,532 in Brea, CA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Brea, CA $6,532
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Brea, CA is roughly 69% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brea, CA 174% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.18 $25.18

$17.04 €15.15

47.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$62.3 €55.4

26.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.02 €9.80

10.53%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$3.12 €2.78

79.17%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$2.27 €2.02

18.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.74 €1.55

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.34 $7.34

$3.42 €3.04

114.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.46 $9.46

$3.74 €3.33

152.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.17 €1.04

0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$1.86 €1.66

184.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.54 €1.37

186.36%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$4.06 €3.61

19.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 $15.38

$12.91 €11.49

19.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$7.90 €7.03

12.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 $13.91

$17.64 €15.69

-21.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.26 €2.01

106.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.75 €1.55

2.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.89 €1.68

127.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.56 €2.27

125.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.85 €1.64

95.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.97 €1.75

55.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.45 €1.29

47.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.77 €0.69

183.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$6.71 €5.97

78.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$5.67 €5.04

167.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.37 €1.22

29.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.11 €1.88

52.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.95 €3.51

15.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.05 €0.93

72.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.28 $36.28

$17.15 €15.26

111.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.19 €1.95

-28.31%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$33.8K €30.0K

-17.76%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.3K €34.0K

-32.00%

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

$218 $218

$164 €146

32.97%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$18.48 €16.43

283.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$32.96 €29.32

109.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.08 $30.08

$45.87 €40.80

-34.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 $20.02

$18.68 €16.61

7.17%

Cinema Ticket

$19.98 $19.98

$9.75 €8.67

104.92%

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

$1,162 $1,162

$684 €608

69.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$17.6K €15.7K

142.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 $62.2

$104 €92.3

-40.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.12 $41.12

$46.20 €41.09

-11.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$99.7 €88.7

-18.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$125 €111

-16.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$1,589 €1,414

40.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,354 $2,354

$1,169 €1,040

101.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,133 $3,133

$2,851 €2,536

9.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 $3,521

$1,993 €1,773

76.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,884 $5,884

$7,793 €6,932

-24.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,172 $6,172

$4,418 €3,930

39.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,939 $9,939

$1,600 €1,423

521.23%

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 Brea, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 50.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Brea, CA

$411 11.1%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 33.6% $138

Eating Out

Brea, CA

$379 10.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 34.8% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brea, CA

$358 9.6%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 39.8% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Brea, CA

$130 3.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 29.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Brea, CA

$70 1.9%

Lisbon

$65 3% 6.7% $4.7

Getting Around

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 362% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,241 in Brea, CA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays 521% 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: $79.0 in Brea, CA vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

22:03 10:03 PM

8 h ahead of Brea, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,585

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

Brea, CA Lisbon 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Brea, CA
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

Brea, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Brea, CA. 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 521% higher in Brea, CA, 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: $2,241 in Brea, CA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,162 in Brea, CA versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $79.0 in Brea, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $3,716 in Brea, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Brea, CA. 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, Brea, CA 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 69% less than in Brea, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.