Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, VT and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $3,098 in Burlington, VT, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, VT
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Burlington, VT Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Burlington, VT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,098

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,098 in Burlington, VT versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Burlington, VT $3,098
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,642 in Burlington, VT versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Burlington, VT $4,642
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,187 in Burlington, VT versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Burlington, VT $6,187
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Burlington, VT is roughly 40% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, VT 129% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 $22.36

$16.86 €15.08

32.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$61.0 €54.6

30.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$10.98 €9.82

11.20%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$3.05 €2.73

64.92%

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

$2.89 $2.89

$2.28 €2.04

26.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.68 €1.50

41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.15 $8.15

$3.44 €3.07

136.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$3.91 €3.49

110.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.15 €1.03

9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.89 €1.69

142.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$1.50 €1.34

294.00%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$4.12 €3.68

8.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 $15.38

$13.01 €11.63

18.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.25 $12.25

$8.04 €7.19

52.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.07 $19.07

$17.89 €16.00

6.60%

Apples (1kg)

$7.25 $7.25

$2.27 €2.03

219.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.74 €1.56

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$1.82 €1.63

201.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.37 $7.37

$2.69 €2.40

173.98%

Potato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.77 €1.58

149.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.94 €1.73

103.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.46 €1.31

106.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$0.76 €0.68

275.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.26 $12.26

$6.66 €5.95

84.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.20 $15.20

$5.64 €5.04

169.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.29 €1.15

37.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.14 €1.91

108.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.30 €2.06

-13.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 $50.8

$44.02 €39.36

15.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.98 €3.56

-35.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.64 €0.57

179.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.73 $27.73

$18.93 €16.92

46.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.28 €2.03

-50.00%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$33.4K €29.8K

-18.16%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.5K €34.4K

-30.91%

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

$151 $151

$158 €141

-4.58%

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

$55.6 $55.6

$17.54 €15.68

217.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$31.18 €27.89

99.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.0 $64.0

$44.64 €39.92

43.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.22 $28.22

$18.98 €16.97

48.68%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 $12.15

$9.58 €8.56

26.83%

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

$1,267 $1,267

$674 €602

88.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K $21.1K

$18.7K €16.7K

12.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 $59.7

$102 €91.4

-41.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 $51.3

$45.90 €41.04

11.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 $70.2

$102 €91.4

-31.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$122 €109

27.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,426 $2,426

$1,641 €1,467

47.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 $1,678

$1,187 €1,062

41.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,601 $3,601

$2,825 €2,526

27.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,943 $2,943

$2,018 €1,805

45.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,831 $3,831

$7,836 €7,007

-51.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,217 $3,217

$4,701 €4,204

-31.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,442 $4,442

$1,687 €1,508

163.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

3.82

75.39%

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

Last update for Burlington, VT: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, VT

$1.7K 54.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 29.2% $491

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, VT

$487 15.7%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 43.7% $213

Eating Out

Burlington, VT

$354 11.4%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 30.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, VT

$269 8.7%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 23% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, VT

$151 4.9%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 10.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, VT

$88 2.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 27.7% $24

Getting Around

Burlington, VT

$70 2.3%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 13.9% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,426 in Burlington, VT and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, VT pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Burlington, VT vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $487 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, VT

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

04:29 4:29 AM

5 h ahead of Burlington, VT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Burlington, VT Lisbon 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Lisbon is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Burlington, VT is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $2,426 in Burlington, VT versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 13% less than in Burlington, VT. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,267 in Burlington, VT versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,098 in Burlington, VT, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Burlington, VT. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Burlington, VT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Burlington, VT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.