Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edison, NJ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,122 in Edison, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Edison, NJ
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Edison, NJ Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Edison, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,122

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,122 in Edison, NJ versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Edison, NJ $3,122
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,397 in Edison, NJ versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Edison, NJ $4,397
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,671 in Edison, NJ versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Edison, NJ $5,671
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Edison, NJ is roughly 41% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edison, NJ 129% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 $18.26

$16.65 €14.95

9.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$61.7 €55.5

-3.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 $9.17

$11.36 €10.20

-19.28%

Cappuccino

$4.08 $4.08

$2.97 €2.67

37.37%

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

$1.03 $1.03

$2.29 €2.06

-55.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.74 €1.56

-43.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.40 €3.06

1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 $6.82

$3.31 €2.97

106.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.16 €1.04

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.91 €1.72

68.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$1.51 €1.36

306.62%

Eggs

$2.54 $2.54

$4.02 €3.61

-36.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 $13.49

$12.94 €11.62

4.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 $10.34

$7.77 €6.98

33.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.70 $19.70

$17.76 €15.95

10.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.30 €2.07

157.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.73 €1.56

-10.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.86 €1.67

132.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.59 €2.33

108.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.82 €1.64

65.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.97 €1.77

57.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.47 €1.32

110.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.72 €0.65

172.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$6.58 €5.91

52.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$5.61 €5.04

162.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.36 €1.22

29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.14 €1.92

65.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.33 €2.10

150.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$199 $199

$44.68 €40.14

344.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.85 €3.46

-20.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.07 €0.96

-14.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.35 $42.35

$16.46 €14.79

157.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.20 €1.98

-59.09%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.2K €30.7K

-19.68%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.7K €34.8K

-31.93%

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

$170 $170

$161 €145

5.68%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$18.41 €16.54

178.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 $50.6

$32.74 €29.41

54.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.98 $21.98

$44.55 €40.02

-50.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$9.60 €8.62

56.04%

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

$2,006 $2,006

$668 €600

200.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K $15.8K

$17.6K €15.8K

-10.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 $50.8

$102 €91.6

-50.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$80.2 $80.2

$44.46 €39.94

80.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 $61.1

$98.5 €88.5

-37.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 $88.5

$124 €111

-28.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 $2,171

$1,608 €1,445

35.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,772 $1,772

$1,190 €1,069

48.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,812 €2,526

11.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,722 $2,722

$2,013 €1,808

35.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,960 $6,960

$1,575 €1,415

341.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

3.85

66.75%

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

Last update for Edison, NJ: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edison, NJ

$1.8K 56.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 32.8% $582

Groceries & Markets

Edison, NJ

$408 13.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 33.2% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edison, NJ

$272 8.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 22% $60

Eating Out

Edison, NJ

$261 8.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 7.2% $19

Getting Around

Edison, NJ

$230 7.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 72.5% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Edison, NJ

$126 4.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 31.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Edison, NJ

$52 1.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 22.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,171 in Edison, NJ and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edison, NJ pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Edison, NJ vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $408 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Edison, NJ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

4 h ahead of Edison, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,588

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Edison, NJ Lisbon 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Edison, NJ
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

Edison, NJ vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,122 in Edison, NJ and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Edison, NJ is about 4.4 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: $2,171 in Edison, NJ versus $1,608 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 78% less than in Edison, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,006 in Edison, NJ versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,122 in Edison, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Edison, NJ. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Edison, NJ on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.