Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
Lisbon $4,346

Fort Madison, IA costs about 16% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fort Madison, IA and Lisbon sit above the global median – Fort Madison, IA by 89%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$17.04 €15.15

16.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$62.3 €55.4

22.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$11.02 €9.80

3.45%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$3.12 €2.78

75.96%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$2.27 €2.02

15.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.74 €1.55

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.42 €3.04

79.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$3.74 €3.33

97.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.17 €1.04

-10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.86 €1.66

85.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.54 €1.37

179.22%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$4.06 €3.61

2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$12.91 €11.49

-2.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$7.90 €7.03

43.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$17.64 €15.69

-3.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.26 €2.01

116.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.75 €1.55

-9.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.89 €1.68

123.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.56 €2.27

88.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.85 €1.64

53.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.97 €1.75

49.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.45 €1.29

47.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.77 €0.69

187.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$6.71 €5.97

50.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$5.67 €5.04

165.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.37 €1.22

22.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.11 €1.88

42.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.32 €2.07

-2.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.95 €3.51

-15.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.05 €0.93

67.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$17.15 €15.26

84.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.19 €1.95

-57.99%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$33.8K €30.0K

-21.40%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$38.3K €34.0K

-37.76%

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

$201 $201

$164 €146

22.97%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$18.48 €16.43

219.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$32.96 €29.32

115.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$45.87 €40.80

-10.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$9.75 €8.67

45.03%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$684 €608

110.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$17.6K €15.7K

34.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$104 €92.3

-48.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$46.20 €41.09

-11.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$99.7 €88.7

-11.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$125 €111

-8.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$1,589 €1,414

-0.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$1,169 €1,040

10.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$2,851 €2,536

-11.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,993 €1,773

7.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$7,793 €6,932

-69.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$4,418 €3,930

-41.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

3.85

70.65%

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

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: 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

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 9.2% $118

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 30.6% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 35.1% $116

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 23.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 25.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 5.7% $4

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 197% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $273 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

01:07 1:07 AM

6 h ahead of Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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

On the map

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Between locations

Fort Madison, IA Lisbon 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, IA
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 Madison, IA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, $2,202 in Lisbon – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, IA and $3,302 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA and $62.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Fort Madison, IA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,202 in Lisbon to $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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