Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fresno, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,811 in Fresno, CA, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Fresno, CA, United States
Lisbon, Portugal
Fresno, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,811
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,811 per month in Fresno, CA vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Fresno, CA $2,811
  • Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $4,028 per month in Fresno, CA vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Fresno, CA $4,028
  • Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $5,244 per month in Fresno, CA vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Fresno, CA $5,244
  • Lisbon $4,341

Fresno, CA costs about 27% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fresno, CA and Lisbon sit above the global median – Fresno, CA by 107%, Lisbon by 62%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fresno, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.74 $19.74
$16.65 €14.92
18.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.0 $71.0
$61.7 €55.3
15.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.89 $13.89
$11.36 €10.18
22.27%
Cappuccino
$5.05 $5.05
$2.97 €2.66
70.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 $2.92
$2.29 €2.05
27.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 $2.10
$1.74 €1.56
20.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.02 $7.02
$3.40 €3.05
106.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.12 $9.12
$3.31 €2.97
175.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fresno, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.16 €1.04
-3.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.69 $2.69
$1.91 €1.71
40.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.70 $4.70
$1.51 €1.36
211.26%
Eggs
$5.47 $5.47
$4.02 €3.60
36.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 $10.97
$12.94 €11.59
-15.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.73 $9.73
$7.77 €6.97
25.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.57 $15.57
$17.76 €15.92
-12.33%
Apples (1kg)
$5.09 $5.09
$2.30 €2.06
121.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.73 €1.55
12.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.45 $4.45
$1.86 €1.66
139.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.39 $3.39
$2.59 €2.32
30.89%
Potato (1kg)
$7.91 $7.91
$1.82 €1.63
334.62%
Onion (1kg)
$2.72 $2.72
$1.97 €1.76
38.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.33 $2.33
$1.47 €1.32
58.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.99 $2.99
$0.72 €0.65
315.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.69 $11.69
$6.58 €5.90
77.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.73 $17.73
$5.61 €5.02
216.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.36 €1.22
61.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.56 $6.56
$2.14 €1.91
206.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Fresno, CA
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.98 $0.98
$2.33 €2.09
-57.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.47 $44.47
$44.68 €40.04
-0.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.24 $4.24
$3.85 €3.45
10.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 $1.53
$1.07 €0.96
42.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.17 $27.17
$16.46 €14.75
65.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 $1.47
$2.20 €1.97
-33.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K $27.4K
$34.2K €30.6K
-19.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.7K $27.7K
$38.7K €34.7K
-28.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fresno, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$237 $237
$161 €144
47.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.6 $52.6
$18.41 €16.50
185.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$77.1 $77.1
$32.74 €29.34
135.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fresno, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.14 $33.14
$44.55 €39.92
-25.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.19 $42.19
$19.10 €17.11
120.89%
Cinema Ticket
$17.41 $17.41
$9.60 €8.60
81.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fresno, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,191 $1,191
$668 €598
78.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.0K $13.0K
$17.6K €15.8K
-26.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fresno, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.2 $60.2
$102 €91.4
-41.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.07 $43.07
$44.46 €39.85
-3.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.0 $95.0
$98.5 €88.3
-3.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$172 $172
$124 €111
38.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fresno, CA
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,568 $1,568
$1,608 €1,441
-2.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,403 $1,403
$1,190 €1,066
17.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,181 $2,181
$2,812 €2,520
-22.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,195 $2,195
$2,013 €1,804
9.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,602 $2,602
$7,839 €7,025
-66.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,070 $3,070
$4,576 €4,100
-32.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fresno, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,818 $3,818
$1,575 €1,411
142.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.4
3.85
66.23%

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

Last update for Fresno, CA: 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
Fresno, CA
$1.4K
Lisbon
$1.2K 15.2% $213
Groceries & Markets
Fresno, CA
$413
Lisbon
$272 34% $141
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fresno, CA
$367
Lisbon
$212 42.1% $155
Eating Out
Fresno, CA
$334
Lisbon
$243 27.3% $91
Clothing & Footwear
Fresno, CA
$166
Lisbon
$166 0.3% $0.5
Sport & Entertainment
Fresno, CA
$68
Lisbon
$64 6.2% $4.2
Getting Around
Fresno, CA
$60
Lisbon
$63 4.9% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,568 in Fresno, CA 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 Fresno, CA are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Fresno, CA versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $413 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Fresno, CA
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
03:39 3:39 AM
11:39 11:39 AM
8 h ahead of Fresno, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
520,052
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fresno, CA Lisbon 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fresno, CA
  • 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
Fresno, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Fresno, CA?
Yes – Fresno, CA is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,217 per month in Fresno, CA and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Fresno, CA and Lisbon?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,568 in Fresno, CA and $1,608 in Lisbon. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
What are total monthly expenses in Fresno, CA and in Lisbon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,811 in Fresno, CA and $2,210 in Lisbon. That makes Lisbon about 21% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,191 per month in Fresno, CA and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is it better to live in Fresno, CA or in Lisbon?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,210 in Lisbon to $2,811 in Fresno, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fresno, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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