Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Iowa City, IA and in Lisbon: $2,251 and $2,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Iowa City, IA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Iowa City, IA $2,251
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,264 in Iowa City, IA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Iowa City, IA $3,264
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,276 in Iowa City, IA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Iowa City, IA $4,276
Lisbon $4,341

Monthly costs are close between Iowa City, IA and Lisbon; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Iowa City, IA 65% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$16.65 €14.85

-9.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 $67.3

$61.7 €55.1

9.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$11.36 €10.13

-20.51%

Cappuccino

$5.54 $5.54

$2.97 €2.65

86.53%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$2.29 €2.04

20.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.74 €1.55

28.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.40 €3.04

42.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.31 €2.95

115.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.16 €1.03

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.91 €1.71

46.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.51 €1.35

33.77%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$4.02 €3.59

-7.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 $9.43

$12.94 €11.54

-27.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 $10.64

$7.77 €6.94

36.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.95 $19.95

$17.76 €15.85

12.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.30 €2.06

46.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.73 €1.55

-29.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.86 €1.66

42.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.59 €2.31

88.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.82 €1.62

8.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.97 €1.76

19.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.47 €1.31

16.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.72 €0.65

230.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$6.58 €5.87

53.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$5.61 €5.00

144.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.36 €1.22

26.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.14 €1.91

112.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.85 €3.43

1.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.07 €0.95

84.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.67 $43.67

$16.46 €14.69

165.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.20 €1.96

-55.00%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.2K €30.5K

-20.51%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$38.7K €34.5K

-33.43%

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

$271 $271

$161 €144

68.37%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$18.41 €16.43

179.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 $81.6

$32.74 €29.21

149.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.80 $29.80

$44.55 €39.74

-33.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 $19.65

$19.10 €17.04

2.88%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 $13.86

$9.60 €8.56

44.38%

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

$1,292 $1,292

$668 €596

93.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$17.6K €15.7K

34.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 $64.4

$102 €91.0

-36.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 $49.68

$44.46 €39.67

11.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 $98.6

$98.5 €87.9

0.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$124 €110

-7.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 $1,242

$1,608 €1,435

-22.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 $1,003

$1,190 €1,062

-15.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$2,812 €2,509

-31.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$2,013 €1,796

-18.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,514 $3,514

$7,839 €6,994

-55.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,811 $1,811

$4,576 €4,082

-60.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,822 $3,822

$1,575 €1,405

142.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.85

67.53%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: 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

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 18.7% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$404 18%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 47.5% $192

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 22.5% $79

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 11.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 12.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 10.8% $6.2

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 359% $49

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 $1,242 in Iowa City, IA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Iowa City, IA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

23:26 11:26 PM

6 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Iowa City, IA Lisbon 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, 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

Iowa City, IA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay in Iowa City, IA is about 2.4 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: $1,242 in Iowa City, IA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $67 in Iowa City, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $1,292 in Iowa City, IA versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 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.

Safety-wise, Iowa City, IA and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Iowa City, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.