Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Lee, NJ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Fort Lee, NJ
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Fort Lee, NJ Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Fort Lee, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,894

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Fort Lee, NJ $3,894
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,154 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Fort Lee, NJ $6,154
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,415 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Fort Lee, NJ $8,415
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Fort Lee, NJ is roughly 76% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort Lee, NJ 186% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$16.65 €14.96

50.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$61.7 €55.5

31.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 $10.95

$11.36 €10.20

-3.61%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$2.97 €2.67

80.13%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$2.29 €2.06

-4.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.74 €1.56

-12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.40 €3.06

140.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$3.31 €2.97

142.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.16 €1.04

14.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.91 €1.72

101.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$1.51 €1.36

349.67%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$4.02 €3.61

15.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.55 $12.55

$12.94 €11.62

-3.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 $11.86

$7.77 €6.99

52.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.50 $17.50

$17.76 €15.96

-1.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.30 €2.07

136.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.73 €1.56

2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$1.86 €1.67

237.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.59 €2.33

109.27%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.82 €1.64

123.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.97 €1.77

98.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.47 €1.32

97.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.72 €0.65

279.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$6.58 €5.92

79.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$5.61 €5.04

111.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.36 €1.22

25.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.14 €1.92

-5.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.33 €2.10

16.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$135 $135

$44.68 €40.14

201.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.85 €3.46

-21.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.07 €0.96

96.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$16.46 €14.79

46.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.20 €1.98

-60.91%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.2K €30.7K

-19.30%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$38.7K €34.8K

-31.68%

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

$215 $215

$161 €145

33.58%

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

$75.8 $75.8

$18.41 €16.54

311.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$32.74 €29.41

95.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$127 $127

$44.55 €40.03

184.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$9.60 €8.62

51.56%

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

$2,027 $2,027

$668 €600

203.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$17.6K €15.8K

34.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.93 $41.93

$102 €91.7

-58.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 $57.6

$44.46 €39.95

29.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 $77.6

$98.5 €88.5

-21.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 $84.5

$124 €111

-31.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,927 $2,927

$1,608 €1,445

82.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,299 $2,299

$1,190 €1,069

93.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,548 $6,548

$2,812 €2,527

132.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,918 $4,918

$2,013 €1,809

144.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,299 $4,299

$7,839 €7,043

-45.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,727 $3,727

$4,576 €4,111

-18.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,606 $6,606

$1,575 €1,415

319.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.85

75.32%

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

Last update for Fort Lee, NJ: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Lee, NJ

$2.3K 59%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 48.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Fort Lee, NJ

$438 11.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 37.8% $165

Eating Out

Fort Lee, NJ

$369 9.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 34.3% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Lee, NJ

$355 9.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 40.2% $143

Getting Around

Fort Lee, NJ

$159 4.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 60.3% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Lee, NJ

$156 4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 59.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Lee, NJ

$118 3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 40.9% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,927 in Fort Lee, NJ and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Lee, NJ pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Fort Lee, NJ vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $438 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Lee, NJ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

13:20 1:20 PM

4 h ahead of Fort Lee, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,008

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Fort Lee, NJ Lisbon 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Lee, 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

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

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Fort Lee, NJ. 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 Fort Lee, NJ is about 4.2 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: $2,927 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,894 per month in Fort Lee, NJ versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 67% less than in Fort Lee, NJ. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Fort Lee, 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, Fort Lee, 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 43% less than in Fort Lee, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.