Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth, NJ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Elizabeth, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,186

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Elizabeth, NJ $3,186
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,453 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Elizabeth, NJ $4,453
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,720 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Elizabeth, NJ $5,720
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Elizabeth, NJ is roughly 45% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Elizabeth, NJ 135% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.71 $19.71

$17.04 €15.15

15.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 $80.4

$62.3 €55.4

29.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 $11.89

$11.02 €9.80

7.89%

Cappuccino

$5.45 $5.45

$3.12 €2.78

74.68%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$2.27 €2.02

7.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.74 €1.55

-14.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 $7.78

$3.42 €3.04

127.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$3.74 €3.33

91.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.17 €1.04

8.55%

White Bread (500g)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.86 €1.66

141.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$1.54 €1.37

287.01%

Eggs

$6.52 $6.52

$4.06 €3.61

60.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$12.91 €11.49

18.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.83 $11.83

$7.90 €7.03

49.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.73 $19.73

$17.64 €15.69

11.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.26 €2.01

163.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.75 €1.55

102.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.89 €1.68

122.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.56 €2.27

111.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.85 €1.64

61.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.97 €1.75

49.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.45 €1.29

106.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.77 €0.69

227.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.62 $14.62

$6.71 €5.97

117.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$5.67 €5.04

169.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.37 €1.22

97.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.11 €1.88

61.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.32 €2.07

24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 $76.0

$44.43 €39.52

70.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.95 €3.51

-26.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.05 €0.93

100.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.39 $42.39

$17.15 €15.26

147.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.19 €1.95

-50.23%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.8K €30.0K

-17.29%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$38.3K €34.0K

-31.28%

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

$247 $247

$164 €146

51.01%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$18.48 €16.43

175.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 $50.1

$32.96 €29.32

51.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.78 $24.78

$45.87 €40.80

-45.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$20.03 $20.03

$9.75 €8.67

105.44%

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

$2,012 $2,012

$684 €608

194.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$17.6K €15.7K

-8.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.63 $49.63

$104 €92.3

-52.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.6 $77.6

$46.20 €41.09

67.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$99.7 €88.7

-11.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$125 €111

-2.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 $2,181

$1,589 €1,414

37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 $1,718

$1,169 €1,040

46.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 $2,668

$2,851 €2,536

-6.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,492 $2,492

$1,993 €1,773

25.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,297 $1,297

$7,793 €6,932

-83.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 $1,143

$4,418 €3,930

-74.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,997 $3,997

$1,600 €1,423

149.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

3.85

73.25%

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

Last update for Elizabeth, NJ: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elizabeth, NJ

$1.7K 53.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 31.9% $549

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth, NJ

$475 14.9%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 42.5% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth, NJ

$348 10.9%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 38.2% $133

Eating Out

Elizabeth, NJ

$328 10.3%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 24.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth, NJ

$152 4.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 11.2% $17

Getting Around

Elizabeth, NJ

$101 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 37.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth, NJ

$65 2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 0.8% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,181 in Elizabeth, NJ and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elizabeth, NJ pays 150% 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: $80.0 in Elizabeth, NJ vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth, NJ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

5 h ahead of Elizabeth, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,179

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

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Between locations

Elizabeth, NJ Lisbon 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Elizabeth, 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

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

Elizabeth, NJ and Lisbon differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($3,186 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 150% higher in Elizabeth, NJ, 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: $2,181 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,012 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Elizabeth, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $3,186 in Elizabeth, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Elizabeth, 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.

Safety-wise, Elizabeth, NJ 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 45% less than in Elizabeth, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.