Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Cerrito, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,078 in El Cerrito, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in El Cerrito, CA
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El Cerrito, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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El Cerrito, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,078

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,078 in El Cerrito, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

El Cerrito, CA $3,078
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,586 in El Cerrito, CA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

El Cerrito, CA $4,586
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,095 in El Cerrito, CA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

El Cerrito, CA $6,095
Lisbon $4,319

Living in El Cerrito, CA is roughly 38% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Cerrito, CA 128% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.42 $25.42

$16.50 €14.67

54.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 $108

$61.3 €54.5

76.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.09 $15.09

$11.27 €10.03

33.90%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$3.06 €2.72

82.68%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$2.26 €2.01

29.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.73 €1.54

41.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$3.39 €3.02

130.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.90 $7.90

$3.40 €3.02

132.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.12 €1.00

32.14%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.86 €1.65

134.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.53 €1.36

207.19%

Eggs

$5.04 $5.04

$3.96 €3.53

27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.29 $16.29

$12.76 €11.35

27.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.67 $11.67

$7.90 €7.02

47.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$16.97 €15.09

-21.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.27 €2.02

146.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.75 €1.55

62.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.85 €1.64

134.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.83 $5.83

$2.57 €2.28

126.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.86 €1.65

79.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.02 €1.80

84.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.44 €1.28

102.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.82 €0.73

223.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.03 $10.03

$6.56 €5.83

52.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.21 $13.21

$5.62 €5.00

135.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.28 €1.14

67.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.07 €1.84

23.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.35 €2.09

-12.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.8 $81.8

$44.18 €39.30

85.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.99 €3.55

-2.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.09 €0.97

83.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.75 $38.75

$16.64 €14.81

132.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.28 €2.03

-34.21%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

-11.54%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$39.3K €35.0K

-33.38%

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

$142 $142

$167 €149

-15.33%

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

$55.9 $55.9

$18.80 €16.72

197.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.6 $77.6

$33.09 €29.43

134.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.55 $42.55

$46.01 €40.93

-7.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$18.08 $18.08

$9.84 €8.75

83.74%

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

$2,251 $2,251

$677 €602

232.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

42.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$101 €90.1

-49.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 $39.73

$45.76 €40.70

-13.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$34.59 $34.59

$100.0 €88.9

-65.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.6 $59.6

$123 €109

-51.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,848 $1,848

$1,614 €1,436

14.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 $1,706

$1,197 €1,065

42.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,247 $3,247

$2,862 €2,545

13.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,868 $2,868

$1,990 €1,770

44.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,474 $2,474

$7,577 €6,740

-67.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,120 $2,120

$4,307 €3,831

-50.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,754 $5,754

$1,588 €1,412

262.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

3.85

73.77%

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

Last update for El Cerrito, CA: 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

El Cerrito, CA

$1.7K 55.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 29.8% $509

Groceries & Markets

El Cerrito, CA

$439 14.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 38.6% $170

Eating Out

El Cerrito, CA

$392 12.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 38.2% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Cerrito, CA

$275 9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 20.3% $56

Getting Around

El Cerrito, CA

$104 3.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 39.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

El Cerrito, CA

$83 2.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 99.9% $83

Sport & Entertainment

El Cerrito, CA

$79 2.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 16.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,848 in El Cerrito, CA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Cerrito, CA pays 262% 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: $108 in El Cerrito, CA vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $439 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Cerrito, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

00:08 12:08 AM

8 h ahead of El Cerrito, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,508

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

El Cerrito, CA Lisbon 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

El Cerrito, CA
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

El Cerrito, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in El Cerrito, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 262% higher in El Cerrito, CA, 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: $1,848 in El Cerrito, CA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $108 in El Cerrito, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,078 per month in El Cerrito, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,078 in El Cerrito, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in El Cerrito, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, El Cerrito, CA 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 38% less than in El Cerrito, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.