Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairfax, VA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,428 in Fairfax, VA, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Fairfax, VA
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Fairfax, VA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Fairfax, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,428

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,428 in Fairfax, VA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Fairfax, VA $3,428
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,787 in Fairfax, VA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Fairfax, VA $4,787
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,147 in Fairfax, VA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Fairfax, VA $6,147
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Fairfax, VA is roughly 55% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fairfax, VA 152% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.15 $19.15

$16.65 €14.91

15.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.5 $96.5

$61.7 €55.3

56.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$11.36 €10.17

4.23%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$2.97 €2.66

104.71%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$2.29 €2.05

39.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.74 €1.56

44.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.40 €3.05

101.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.31 €2.96

143.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.16 €1.04

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.91 €1.71

113.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.51 €1.35

256.95%

Eggs

$5.40 $5.40

$4.02 €3.60

34.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.98 $16.98

$12.94 €11.59

31.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.95 $14.95

$7.77 €6.96

92.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.63 $18.63

$17.76 €15.91

4.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$2.30 €2.06

156.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.73 €1.55

30.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.79 $5.79

$1.86 €1.66

211.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$2.59 €2.32

121.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.82 €1.63

51.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.97 €1.76

89.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.47 €1.32

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$0.72 €0.65

272.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.63 $13.63

$6.58 €5.90

107.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 $15.84

$5.61 €5.02

182.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.36 €1.22

93.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.14 €1.91

112.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.33 €2.09

15.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.7 $68.7

$44.68 €40.01

53.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.85 €3.45

-22.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.07 €0.96

37.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.06 $24.06

$16.46 €14.74

46.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.20 €1.97

-51.36%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$34.2K €30.6K

4.13%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$38.7K €34.7K

-32.52%

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

$212 $212

$161 €144

31.66%

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

$65.6 $65.6

$18.41 €16.49

256.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.3 $77.3

$32.74 €29.32

136.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 $68.6

$44.55 €39.90

54.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.20 $25.20

$19.10 €17.10

31.94%

Cinema Ticket

$17.96 $17.96

$9.60 €8.60

87.08%

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

$1,906 $1,906

$668 €598

185.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K $35.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

99.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$102 €91.4

-48.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$44.46 €39.82

23.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 $92.6

$98.5 €88.2

-6.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$124 €111

-9.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,474 $2,474

$1,608 €1,440

53.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 $1,920

$1,190 €1,066

61.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,353 $3,353

$2,812 €2,519

19.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 $2,733

$2,013 €1,803

35.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,371 $5,371

$7,839 €7,021

-31.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,702 $3,702

$4,576 €4,098

-19.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,746 $5,746

$1,575 €1,411

264.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

3.85

74.55%

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

Last update for Fairfax, VA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fairfax, VA

$1.9K 56%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 38% $730

Groceries & Markets

Fairfax, VA

$483 14.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 43.6% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairfax, VA

$355 10.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 40.2% $143

Eating Out

Fairfax, VA

$335 9.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 27.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Fairfax, VA

$140 4.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 18.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Fairfax, VA

$105 3.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 39% $41

Getting Around

Fairfax, VA

$90 2.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 29.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,474 in Fairfax, VA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fairfax, VA pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $97 in Fairfax, VA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairfax, VA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

21:25 9:25 PM

5 h ahead of Fairfax, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,146

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Fairfax, VA Lisbon 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Fairfax, VA
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

Fairfax, VA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Fairfax, VA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Fairfax, VA is about 3.6 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: $2,474 in Fairfax, VA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Fairfax, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $97 in Fairfax, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,428 in Fairfax, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Fairfax, VA. 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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Fairfax, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.