Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, MA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $4,799 in Cambridge, MA, rent and utilities included – about $31,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

228

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge, MA
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Cambridge, MA Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cambridge, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,799

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,799 in Cambridge, MA versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Cambridge, MA $4,799
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,155 in Cambridge, MA versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Cambridge, MA $7,155
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,510 in Cambridge, MA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Cambridge, MA $9,510
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Cambridge, MA is roughly 118% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge, MA 255% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.83 $19.83

$16.86 €15.02

17.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.0 €54.4

65.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 $11.82

$10.98 €9.78

7.65%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.05 €2.72

76.39%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$2.28 €2.03

32.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.68 €1.50

39.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.44 €3.06

130.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$3.91 €3.48

109.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.15 €1.02

2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.89 €1.68

133.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$1.50 €1.34

382.00%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$4.12 €3.67

21.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.02 $19.02

$13.01 €11.59

46.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.98 $13.98

$8.04 €7.17

73.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$17.89 €15.94

6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 $7.42

$2.27 €2.02

226.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.74 €1.55

-5.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$1.82 €1.62

223.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.71 $7.71

$2.69 €2.39

186.62%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.77 €1.57

147.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.94 €1.73

89.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.46 €1.30

100.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.76 €0.68

230.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.35 $13.35

$6.66 €5.93

100.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 $15.55

$5.64 €5.02

175.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.29 €1.15

50.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.14 €1.91

108.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.30 €2.05

3.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.9 $88.9

$44.02 €39.21

101.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.98 €3.55

-2.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.64 €0.57

235.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.68 $29.68

$18.93 €16.86

56.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.28 €2.03

-51.32%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$33.4K €29.7K

-18.08%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.5K €34.3K

-31.04%

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

$228 $228

$158 €141

44.18%

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

$55.6 $55.6

$17.54 €15.62

216.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.6 $78.6

$31.18 €27.78

152.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 $74.9

$44.64 €39.77

67.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.38 $30.38

$18.98 €16.91

60.06%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$9.58 €8.53

58.35%

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

$2,591 $2,591

$674 €600

284.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$45.7K $45.7K

$18.7K €16.7K

143.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 $72.8

$102 €91.0

-28.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 $51.1

$45.90 €40.89

11.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$102 €91.0

1.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$122 €109

15.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,738 $3,738

$1,641 €1,461

127.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,207 $3,207

$1,187 €1,058

170.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,164 $6,164

$2,825 €2,516

118.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,901 $5,901

$2,018 €1,798

192.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,656 $7,656

$7,836 €6,980

-2.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,069 $6,069

$4,701 €4,188

29.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,222 $6,222

$1,687 €1,503

268.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

3.82

70.16%

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

Last update for Cambridge, MA: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge, MA

$3.2K 66.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 63% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge, MA

$510 10.6%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 46.2% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge, MA

$362 7.6%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 42.9% $155

Eating Out

Cambridge, MA

$336 7%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 27% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge, MA

$166 3.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 1.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Cambridge, MA

$113 2.4%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 46.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge, MA

$105 2.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 39.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,738 in Cambridge, MA and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge, MA pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Cambridge, MA vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $510 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cambridge, MA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

21:55 9:55 PM

5 h ahead of Cambridge, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,162

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cambridge, MA Lisbon 5,140 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge, MA
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

Cambridge, MA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Cambridge, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Cambridge, MA is about 3.7 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: $3,738 in Cambridge, MA versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Cambridge, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61 versus $101 in Cambridge, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,206 in Lisbon versus $4,799 in Cambridge, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Cambridge, MA. 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 Cambridge, MA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cambridge, MA and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Cambridge, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.