Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellicott City, MD and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Ellicott City, MD
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Ellicott City, MD Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,488

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,488 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $3,488
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $4,646 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $4,646
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $5,804 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $5,804
Lisbon $4,341

Ellicott City, MD costs about 58% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ellicott City, MD and Lisbon sit above the global median – Ellicott City, MD by 156%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 $18.21

$16.65 €14.95

9.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 $95.6

$61.7 €55.5

54.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 $10.87

$11.36 €10.20

-4.31%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$2.97 €2.67

81.82%

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

$3.35 $3.35

$2.29 €2.06

46.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.74 €1.56

51.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 $6.97

$3.40 €3.06

105.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$3.31 €2.97

143.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.16 €1.04

0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.91 €1.72

115.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.51 €1.36

152.32%

Eggs

$4.58 $4.58

$4.02 €3.61

13.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.91 $16.91

$12.94 €11.62

30.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$7.77 €6.98

67.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.52 $18.52

$17.76 €15.95

4.28%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.30 €2.07

168.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.73 €1.56

-8.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.86 €1.67

122.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.59 €2.33

57.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.82 €1.64

22.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.97 €1.77

35.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.47 €1.32

59.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.72 €0.65

209.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.49 $13.49

$6.58 €5.91

105.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.37 $15.37

$5.61 €5.04

173.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.36 €1.22

97.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.14 €1.92

46.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.85 €3.46

-53.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.07 €0.96

25.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$16.46 €14.79

46.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.20 €1.98

-57.27%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$34.2K €30.7K

-32.55%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$38.7K €34.8K

-37.74%

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

$208 $208

$161 €145

29.20%

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

$49.91 $49.91

$18.41 €16.54

171.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 $79.9

$32.74 €29.41

143.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$44.55 €40.02

150.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 $14.57

$9.60 €8.62

51.77%

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

$1,921 $1,921

$668 €600

187.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.9K $34.9K

$17.6K €15.8K

97.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$102 €91.6

-48.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 $56.7

$44.46 €39.94

27.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 $93.5

$98.5 €88.5

-5.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$124 €111

-9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 $2,498

$1,608 €1,445

55.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$1,190 €1,069

77.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,056 $3,056

$2,812 €2,526

8.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,695 $2,695

$2,013 €1,808

33.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,635 $2,635

$4,576 €4,110

-42.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,000 $5,000

$1,575 €1,415

217.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.85

76.36%

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

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: 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

Ellicott City, MD

$2.1K 60.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 43.5% $917

Groceries & Markets

Ellicott City, MD

$433 12.4%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 37.2% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellicott City, MD

$338 9.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 37.2% $126

Eating Out

Ellicott City, MD

$318 9.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 23.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Ellicott City, MD

$142 4.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 17.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Ellicott City, MD

$141 4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 54.8% $77

Getting Around

Ellicott City, MD

$8.5 * 0.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 644% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ellicott City, MD are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Ellicott City, MD versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $433 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

4 h ahead of Ellicott City, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,834

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

On the map

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Between locations

Ellicott City, MD Lisbon 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ellicott City, MD
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

Ellicott City, MD vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ellicott City, MD is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,232 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,608 there versus $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD and $2,210 in Lisbon. That’s a gap of about 58%.

Kindergarten costs $1,921 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,210, than in Ellicott City, MD at $3,488. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellicott City, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lisbon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ellicott City, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.