Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East Lansing, MI and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in East Lansing, MI and in Lisbon: $2,318 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

113

Cost of Living Index in East Lansing, MI
Learn more

East Lansing, MI Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

East Lansing, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,318

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,318 in East Lansing, MI versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

East Lansing, MI $2,318
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,429 in East Lansing, MI versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

East Lansing, MI $3,429
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,540 in East Lansing, MI versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

East Lansing, MI $4,540
Lisbon $4,319

Living in East Lansing, MI is roughly 4% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: East Lansing, MI 72% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 $16.62

$16.50 €14.67

0.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$61.3 €54.5

20.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$11.27 €10.03

8.34%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$3.06 €2.72

71.24%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$2.26 €2.01

8.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.73 €1.54

27.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.39 €3.02

45.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 $6.47

$3.40 €3.02

90.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.12 €1.00

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.86 €1.65

56.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$1.53 €1.36

238.56%

Eggs

$2.75 $2.75

$3.96 €3.53

-30.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 $10.93

$12.76 €11.35

-14.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.78 $16.78

$7.90 €7.02

112.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 $16.59

$16.97 €15.09

-2.24%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.27 €2.02

130.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.75 €1.55

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$1.85 €1.64

265.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.57 €2.28

40.47%

Potato (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$1.86 €1.65

212.37%

Onion (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$2.02 €1.80

180.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.44 €1.28

49.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$0.82 €0.73

382.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.58 $9.58

$6.56 €5.83

46.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 $16.14

$5.62 €5.00

187.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.28 €1.14

51.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.07 €1.84

-26.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.35 €2.09

-31.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.5 $50.5

$44.18 €39.30

14.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.80 $9.80

$3.99 €3.55

145.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.09 €0.97

193.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.93 $9.93

$16.64 €14.81

-40.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.28 €2.03

-57.46%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

2.39%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-34.29%

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

$173 $173

$167 €149

3.00%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$18.80 €16.72

187.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.1 $63.1

$33.09 €29.43

90.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.22 $36.22

$46.01 €40.93

-21.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 $15.24

$19.19 €17.07

-20.58%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 $11.21

$9.84 €8.75

13.92%

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

$645 $645

$677 €602

-4.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K $11.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-35.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 $54.2

$101 €90.1

-46.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.29 $37.29

$45.76 €40.70

-18.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 $69.0

$100.0 €88.9

-30.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 $85.0

$123 €109

-30.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 $1,231

$1,614 €1,436

-23.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 $1,041

$1,197 €1,065

-13.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,063 $2,063

$2,862 €2,545

-27.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 $1,684

$1,990 €1,770

-15.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,070 $2,070

$7,577 €6,740

-72.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,594 $1,594

$4,307 €3,831

-62.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,117 $6,117

$1,588 €1,412

285.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

3.85

70.39%

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

Last update for East Lansing, MI: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East Lansing, MI

$1K 44.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 15% $156

Groceries & Markets

East Lansing, MI

$446 19.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 39.6% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East Lansing, MI

$290 12.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 24.3% $70

Eating Out

East Lansing, MI

$289 12.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 16.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

East Lansing, MI

$110 4.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 50.6% $56

Getting Around

East Lansing, MI

$83 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 23.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

East Lansing, MI

$59 2.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 12% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,231 in East Lansing, MI and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

East Lansing, MI pays 285% 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: $74.0 in East Lansing, MI vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $446 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 East Lansing, MI

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

09:49 9:49 AM

5 h ahead of East Lansing, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,741

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

East Lansing, MI Lisbon 6,150 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

East Lansing, MI
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

East Lansing, MI vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

East Lansing, MI and Lisbon differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,318 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 285% higher in East Lansing, MI, 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: $1,231 in East Lansing, MI versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,318 per month in East Lansing, MI versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 14% less than in East Lansing, MI. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,318 in East Lansing, MI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in East Lansing, MI. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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, East Lansing, MI 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 4% less than in East Lansing, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.