Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlingen, TX and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Harlingen, TX: $1,864 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Harlingen, TX
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Harlingen, TX Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Harlingen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,864

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,864 in Harlingen, TX versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Harlingen, TX $1,864
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,525 in Harlingen, TX versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Harlingen, TX $2,525
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,187 in Harlingen, TX versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Harlingen, TX $3,187
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Harlingen, TX costs roughly 16% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Harlingen, TX 37% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 $12.35

$16.65 €14.92

-25.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.75 $47.75

$61.7 €55.3

-22.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 $8.06

$11.36 €10.18

-29.05%

Cappuccino

$4.40 $4.40

$2.97 €2.66

48.15%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$2.29 €2.05

-13.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.74 €1.56

15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.40 €3.05

43.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.31 €2.97

38.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.16 €1.04

-16.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.91 €1.71

54.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.51 €1.36

203.31%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$4.02 €3.60

-13.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$12.94 €11.59

-23.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 $12.63

$7.77 €6.97

62.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 $15.03

$17.76 €15.92

-15.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.30 €2.06

117.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.73 €1.55

-23.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.86 €1.66

77.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.59 €2.32

-19.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.82 €1.63

66.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.97 €1.76

35.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.47 €1.32

22.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.72 €0.65

193.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.79 $9.79

$6.58 €5.90

48.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.85 $15.85

$5.61 €5.02

182.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.36 €1.22

55.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.14 €1.91

6.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.17 $4.17

$3.85 €3.45

8.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.07 €0.96

-27.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$2.20 €1.97

-61.82%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-14.12%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

-36.64%

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

$163 $163

$161 €144

1.25%

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

$36.82 $36.82

$18.41 €16.50

100.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.96 $49.96

$32.74 €29.34

52.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$12.10 $12.10

$9.60 €8.60

26.04%

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

$779 $779

$668 €598

16.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 $77.8

$102 €91.4

-23.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.87 $44.87

$44.46 €39.85

0.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 $75.6

$98.5 €88.3

-23.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 $94.2

$124 €111

-23.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$840 $840

$1,608 €1,441

-47.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$865 $865

$1,190 €1,066

-27.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 $1,375

$2,812 €2,520

-51.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 $1,038

$2,013 €1,804

-48.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,900 $1,900

$7,839 €7,025

-75.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,892 $1,892

$4,576 €4,100

-58.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,073 $4,073

$1,575 €1,411

158.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

3.85

68.31%

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

Last update for Harlingen, TX: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harlingen, TX

$865 46.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 37.5% $325

Groceries & Markets

Harlingen, TX

$360 19.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 24.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harlingen, TX

$250 13.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 15.1% $38

Eating Out

Harlingen, TX

$225 12.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 7.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Harlingen, TX

$132 7.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 26.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Harlingen, TX

$24 * 1.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 163% $40

Getting Around

Harlingen, TX

$8 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 686% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $840 in Harlingen, TX and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harlingen, TX pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Harlingen, TX vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Harlingen, TX

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

04:46 4:46 AM

6 h ahead of Harlingen, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,829

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

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Between locations

Harlingen, TX Lisbon 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Harlingen, TX
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

Harlingen, TX vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harlingen, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Harlingen, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Harlingen, TX is about 2.6 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: $840 in Harlingen, TX versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $779 in Harlingen, TX versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Harlingen, TX – a meal for two runs $48 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.