Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Evanston, IL and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,572 in Evanston, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. The total is higher in Evanston, IL despite lower rent and utilities.

123

Cost of Living Index in Evanston, IL
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Evanston, IL Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Evanston, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,572

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,572 per month in Evanston, IL vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Evanston, IL $2,572
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $4,469 per month in Evanston, IL vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Evanston, IL $4,469
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $6,366 per month in Evanston, IL vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Evanston, IL $6,366
Lisbon $4,341

Evanston, IL costs about 16% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Evanston, IL and Lisbon sit above the global median – Evanston, IL by 89%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.30 $20.30

$16.65 €14.95

21.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 $85.2

$61.7 €55.5

38.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.82 $12.82

$11.36 €10.20

12.85%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$2.97 €2.67

96.30%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$2.29 €2.06

18.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.74 €1.56

28.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.40 €3.06

105.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$3.31 €2.97

138.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.16 €1.04

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.91 €1.72

95.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.51 €1.36

182.78%

Eggs

$4.58 $4.58

$4.02 €3.61

13.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.66 $13.66

$12.94 €11.62

5.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.34 $14.34

$7.77 €6.98

84.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.96 $19.96

$17.76 €15.95

12.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.30 €2.07

127.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.73 €1.56

-6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.86 €1.67

107.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.59 €2.33

93.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.82 €1.64

52.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.97 €1.77

49.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.47 €1.32

41.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.72 €0.65

229.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 $10.83

$6.58 €5.91

64.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$5.61 €5.04

171.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.36 €1.22

96.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.14 €1.92

56.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.33 €2.10

5.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.2 $75.2

$44.68 €40.14

68.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.85 €3.46

4.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.07 €0.96

32.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.50 $44.50

$16.46 €14.79

170.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.20 €1.98

-52.73%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$34.2K €30.7K

-12.23%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$38.7K €34.8K

-34.57%

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

$194 $194

$161 €145

20.56%

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

$60.4 $60.4

$18.41 €16.54

228.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.0 $74.0

$32.74 €29.41

126.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.0 $75.0

$44.55 €40.02

68.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$59.6 $59.6

$19.10 €17.16

211.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$9.60 €8.62

53.54%

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

$1,646 $1,646

$668 €600

146.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

79.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 $63.6

$102 €91.6

-37.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$44.46 €39.94

12.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$98.5 €88.5

10.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$124 €111

2.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 $1,688

$1,608 €1,445

4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 $1,111

$1,190 €1,069

-6.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$2,812 €2,526

42.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,055 $3,055

$2,013 €1,808

51.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K $14.4K

$7,839 €7,042

83.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.7K $12.7K

$4,576 €4,110

177.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,558 $5,558

$1,575 €1,415

252.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

3.85

76.88%

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

Last update for Evanston, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Evanston, IL

$1.1K 43.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 7.1% $79

Groceries & Markets

Evanston, IL

$433 16.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 37.2% $161

Eating Out

Evanston, IL

$341 13.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 28.9% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Evanston, IL

$329 12.8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 35.4% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Evanston, IL

$157 6.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.8% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Evanston, IL

$105 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 39% $41

Getting Around

Evanston, IL

$96 3.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 34.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,688 in Evanston, IL 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 Evanston, IL are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Evanston, IL 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

🇺🇸 Evanston, IL

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

20:28 8:28 PM

5 h ahead of Evanston, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,486

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

Evanston, IL Lisbon 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Evanston, IL
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

Evanston, IL vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,572 in Evanston, IL, $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,858 per month in Evanston, IL and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,688 in Evanston, IL and $1,608 in Lisbon. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Evanston, IL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Evanston, IL and $62 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,572 in Evanston, IL and $2,210 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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