Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bristol, VA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bristol, VA: $2,038 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Bristol, VA
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Bristol, VA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Bristol, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,038

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,038 in Bristol, VA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Bristol, VA $2,038
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,040 in Bristol, VA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Bristol, VA $3,040
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,041 in Bristol, VA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Bristol, VA $4,041
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Bristol, VA costs roughly 7% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bristol, VA 50% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 $17.76

$17.04 €15.15

4.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 $63.9

$62.3 €55.4

2.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$11.02 €9.80

-1.81%

Cappuccino

$4.03 $4.03

$3.12 €2.78

29.17%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$2.27 €2.02

-14.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.74 €1.55

1.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.42 €3.04

34.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.74 €3.33

57.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.17 €1.04

-17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.86 €1.66

115.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.54 €1.37

116.23%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$4.06 €3.61

-9.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$12.91 €11.49

25.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$7.90 €7.03

101.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.05 $18.05

$17.64 €15.69

2.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.26 €2.01

130.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.75 €1.55

-27.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.89 €1.68

148.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.56 €2.27

79.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.85 €1.64

107.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.97 €1.75

47.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.45 €1.29

37.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.77 €0.69

203.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.54 $8.54

$6.71 €5.97

27.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 $15.55

$5.67 €5.04

174.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.37 €1.22

78.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.11 €1.88

73.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.95 €3.51

-22.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.05 €0.93

81.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$17.15 €15.26

71.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.19 €1.95

-59.36%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$33.8K €30.0K

2.11%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$38.3K €34.0K

-33.60%

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

$171 $171

$164 €146

4.59%

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

$67.4 $67.4

$18.48 €16.43

264.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$32.96 €29.32

113.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.37 $31.37

$45.87 €40.80

-31.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$15.98 $15.98

$9.75 €8.67

63.90%

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

$1,465 $1,465

$684 €608

114.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$17.6K €15.7K

40.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 $50.7

$104 €92.3

-51.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.93 $36.93

$46.20 €41.09

-20.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 $65.5

$99.7 €88.7

-34.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 $90.6

$125 €111

-27.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 $1,107

$1,589 €1,414

-30.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$1,169 €1,040

-28.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,786 $1,786

$2,851 €2,536

-37.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 $1,389

$1,993 €1,773

-30.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 $1,788

$7,793 €6,932

-77.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,800 $1,800

$4,418 €3,930

-59.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 $3,025

$1,600 €1,423

89.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

3.85

68.31%

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

Last update for Bristol, VA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bristol, VA

$831 40.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 40.7% $338

Groceries & Markets

Bristol, VA

$440 21.6%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 37.9% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bristol, VA

$309 15.2%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 30.4% $94

Eating Out

Bristol, VA

$272 13.4%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 9.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Bristol, VA

$110 5.4%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 53.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Bristol, VA

$63 3.1%

Lisbon

$65 3% 3.2% $2

Getting Around

Bristol, VA

$13 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 399% $50

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 $1,107 in Bristol, VA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol, VA pays 89% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Bristol, VA vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $440 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bristol, VA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

12:38 12:38 PM

5 h ahead of Bristol, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,141

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

Bristol, VA Lisbon 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bristol, VA
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

Bristol, VA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bristol, VA and Lisbon differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,038 vs $2,202 including rent). Bristol, VA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 89% higher in Bristol, VA, 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: $1,107 in Bristol, VA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,465 in Bristol, VA 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 Bristol, VA – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,038 in Bristol, VA versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bristol, VA but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bristol, VA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bristol, VA 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 Bristol, VA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.