Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houghton, MI and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,736 in Houghton, MI, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Houghton, MI
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Houghton, MI Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Houghton, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,736

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,736 in Houghton, MI versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Houghton, MI $2,736
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,593 in Houghton, MI versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Houghton, MI $3,593
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,449 in Houghton, MI versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Houghton, MI $4,449
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Houghton, MI is roughly 24% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houghton, MI 102% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 $13.78

$17.04 €15.15

-19.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.55 $39.55

$62.3 €55.4

-36.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 $10.37

$11.02 €9.80

-5.90%

Cappuccino

$4.13 $4.13

$3.12 €2.78

32.37%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$2.27 €2.02

22.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.74 €1.55

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.42 €3.04

73.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.38 $7.38

$3.74 €3.33

97.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.17 €1.04

-14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.86 €1.66

124.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.34 $6.34

$1.54 €1.37

311.69%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$4.06 €3.61

-2.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 $12.31

$12.91 €11.49

-4.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.79 $10.79

$7.90 €7.03

36.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.97 $10.97

$17.64 €15.69

-37.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.26 €2.01

125.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.75 €1.55

-32.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$1.89 €1.68

124.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.56 €2.27

86.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.85 €1.64

51.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.97 €1.75

52.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.45 €1.29

52.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.77 €0.69

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 $10.18

$6.71 €5.97

51.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$5.67 €5.04

164.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.37 €1.22

42.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.11 €1.88

55.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.32 €2.07

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.95 €3.51

-23.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.05 €0.93

41.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.22 $29.22

$17.15 €15.26

70.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.19 €1.95

-63.01%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$33.8K €30.0K

-25.61%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$38.3K €34.0K

-33.67%

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

$280 $280

$164 €146

71.11%

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

$57.6 $57.6

$18.48 €16.43

211.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$32.96 €29.32

109.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.96 $36.96

$45.87 €40.80

-19.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 $14.18

$9.75 €8.67

45.44%

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

$1,249 $1,249

$684 €608

82.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$17.6K €15.7K

30.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$104 €92.3

-48.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 $41.58

$46.20 €41.09

-10.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$99.7 €88.7

-12.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$125 €111

-13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 $1,833

$1,589 €1,414

15.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 $1,484

$1,169 €1,040

26.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,318 $2,318

$2,851 €2,536

-18.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 $1,967

$1,993 €1,773

-1.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,546 $1,546

$7,793 €6,932

-80.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 $1,550

$4,418 €3,930

-64.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,603 $2,603

$1,600 €1,423

62.71%

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 Houghton, MI: 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

Houghton, MI

$1.5K 54.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 21.2% $315

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houghton, MI

$407 14.9%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 47.1% $192

Groceries & Markets

Houghton, MI

$377 13.8%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 27.6% $104

Eating Out

Houghton, MI

$253 9.3%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 2.2% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Houghton, MI

$131 4.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 28.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Houghton, MI

$65 2.4%

Lisbon

$65 3% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Houghton, MI

$19 * 0.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 239% $44

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 $1,833 in Houghton, MI and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houghton, MI pays 63% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Houghton, MI vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houghton, MI

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

15:20 3:20 PM

5 h ahead of Houghton, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

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Between locations

Houghton, MI Lisbon 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Houghton, MI
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

Houghton, MI vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Houghton, MI, 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: $1,833 in Houghton, MI versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Houghton, MI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,736 per month in Houghton, MI versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,736 in Houghton, MI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Houghton, MI. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Houghton, MI, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Houghton, MI 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 24% less than in Houghton, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.