Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, TX and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,625 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

127

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,625

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,625 in Houston, TX versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Houston, TX $2,625
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Houston, TX versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Houston, TX $3,794
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,963 in Houston, TX versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Houston, TX $4,963
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Houston, TX is roughly 19% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houston, TX 93% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.40 $20.40

$16.65 €14.95

22.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 $75.1

$61.7 €55.5

21.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$11.36 €10.20

-13.56%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$2.97 €2.67

76.43%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$2.29 €2.06

18.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.74 €1.56

29.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.40 €3.06

81.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$3.31 €2.97

140.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.16 €1.04

-27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.91 €1.72

69.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.51 €1.36

171.52%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$4.02 €3.61

-19.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 $11.11

$12.94 €11.62

-14.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$7.77 €6.98

62.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.40 $16.40

$17.76 €15.95

-7.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.30 €2.07

79.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.73 €1.56

-15.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.86 €1.67

63.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.59 €2.33

41.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.82 €1.64

20.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.97 €1.77

37.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.47 €1.32

32.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.72 €0.65

247.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 $10.09

$6.58 €5.91

53.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 $14.47

$5.61 €5.04

157.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.36 €1.22

82.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.14 €1.92

35.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.33 €2.10

-45.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 $74.4

$44.68 €40.14

66.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.85 €3.46

-25.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.07 €0.96

38.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$16.46 €14.79

45.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.20 €1.98

-55.91%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$34.2K €30.7K

0.69%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.7K €34.8K

-31.87%

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

$198 $198

$161 €145

22.73%

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

$65.2 $65.2

$18.41 €16.54

253.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.3 $75.3

$32.74 €29.41

130.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.73 $35.73

$44.55 €40.02

-19.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.98 $20.98

$19.10 €17.16

9.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$9.60 €8.62

56.88%

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

$1,901 $1,901

$668 €600

184.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K $22.1K

$17.6K €15.8K

25.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.81 $49.81

$102 €91.6

-51.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.04 $47.04

$44.46 €39.94

5.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$98.5 €88.5

4.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 $94.0

$124 €111

-23.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 $1,742

$1,608 €1,445

8.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 $1,304

$1,190 €1,069

9.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,449 $3,449

$2,812 €2,526

22.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$2,013 €1,808

2.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,659 $2,659

$7,839 €7,042

-66.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,785 $1,785

$4,576 €4,110

-60.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,293 $4,293

$1,575 €1,415

172.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

3.85

74.03%

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

Last update for Houston, TX: 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

Houston, TX

$1.3K 49.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 8.7% $114

Groceries & Markets

Houston, TX

$373 14.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 27% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, TX

$338 12.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 37.2% $126

Eating Out

Houston, TX

$322 12.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 24.7% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, TX

$132 5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 25.3% $34

Getting Around

Houston, TX

$90 3.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 29.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, TX

$66 2.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 3.2% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,742 in Houston, TX and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Houston, TX vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

16:49 4:49 PM

5 h ahead of Houston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

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

Houston, TX Lisbon 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Houston, 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

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

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Houston, TX. 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 Houston, TX is about 2.7 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: $1,742 in Houston, TX versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Houston, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $75 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.