Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington, IA: $1,769 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Burlington, IA $1,769
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,675 in Burlington, IA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Burlington, IA $2,675
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,580 in Burlington, IA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Burlington, IA $3,580
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Burlington, IA costs roughly 20% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, IA 31% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.35 $11.35

$17.04 €15.15

-33.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$62.3 €55.4

-5.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 $8.84

$11.02 €9.80

-19.78%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$3.12 €2.78

51.92%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$2.27 €2.02

-14.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.74 €1.55

16.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.42 €3.04

-0.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.74 €3.33

22.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.17 €1.04

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.86 €1.66

51.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.54 €1.37

181.82%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$4.06 €3.61

-28.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 $11.37

$12.91 €11.49

-11.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$7.90 €7.03

51.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 $14.20

$17.64 €15.69

-19.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.26 €2.01

77.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.75 €1.55

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.89 €1.68

143.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.56 €2.27

81.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.85 €1.64

48.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.97 €1.75

31.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.45 €1.29

6.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.77 €0.69

167.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$6.71 €5.97

21.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 $16.29

$5.67 €5.04

187.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.37 €1.22

37.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.11 €1.88

7.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.32 €2.07

-16.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 $15.76

$44.43 €39.52

-64.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 $4.67

$3.95 €3.51

18.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.05 €0.93

-2.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.19 $22.19

$17.15 €15.26

29.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.19 €1.95

-57.08%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$33.8K €30.0K

-32.72%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$38.3K €34.0K

-34.71%

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

$184 $184

$164 €146

12.39%

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

$47.16 $47.16

$18.48 €16.43

155.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$32.96 €29.32

79.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$45.87 €40.80

-7.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$9.75 €8.67

22.26%

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

$1,210 $1,210

$684 €608

76.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K $13.3K

$17.6K €15.7K

-24.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.72 $44.72

$104 €92.3

-56.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 $30.53

$46.20 €41.09

-33.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$99.7 €88.7

-12.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.90 $37.90

$125 €111

-69.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 $754

$1,589 €1,414

-52.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$1,169 €1,040

-39.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 $1,172

$2,851 €2,536

-58.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$1,993 €1,773

-35.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,026 $1,026

$7,793 €6,932

-86.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,033 $1,033

$4,418 €3,930

-76.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,446 $4,446

$1,600 €1,423

177.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

3.85

69.87%

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

Last update for Burlington, IA: 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

Burlington, IA

$707 40%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 65.4% $462

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 25.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 25.9% $75

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 14.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 87.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 89% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $754 in Burlington, IA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 178% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Burlington, IA vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $366 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

02:00 2:00 AM

6 h ahead of Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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

Burlington, IA Lisbon 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, IA
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

Burlington, IA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burlington, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Burlington, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 178% higher in Burlington, IA, 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: $754 in Burlington, IA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,210 in Burlington, IA versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 34% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Burlington, IA but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Burlington, IA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Burlington, IA delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,769 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Burlington, IA hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Burlington, IA 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 Burlington, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.