Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ithaca, NY and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,893 in Ithaca, NY, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Ithaca, NY
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Ithaca, NY Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ithaca, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,893

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,893 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $2,893
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $3,843 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $3,843
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $4,792 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $4,792
Lisbon $4,341

Ithaca, NY costs about 31% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ithaca, NY and Lisbon sit above the global median – Ithaca, NY by 113%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 $22.77

$16.65 €14.92

36.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$61.7 €55.3

28.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 $10.83

$11.36 €10.18

-4.67%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$2.97 €2.66

71.38%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$2.29 €2.05

14.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.74 €1.56

17.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.40 €3.05

48.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.39 $9.39

$3.31 €2.97

183.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.16 €1.04

-12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.91 €1.71

68.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$1.51 €1.36

369.54%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$4.02 €3.60

-1.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.66 $14.66

$12.94 €11.59

13.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$7.77 €6.97

-16.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 $15.45

$17.76 €15.92

-13.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.30 €2.06

110.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.73 €1.55

-2.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.86 €1.66

193.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.59 €2.32

86.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.82 €1.63

73.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.97 €1.76

88.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.47 €1.32

55.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.72 €0.65

186.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.69 $14.69

$6.58 €5.90

123.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 $14.20

$5.61 €5.02

153.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.36 €1.22

36.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.14 €1.91

86.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.33 €2.09

-33.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.49 $45.49

$44.68 €40.04

1.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.85 €3.45

29.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.07 €0.96

32.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$16.46 €14.75

78.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.20 €1.97

-51.82%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.2K €30.6K

-20.59%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K €34.7K

-31.29%

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

$167 $167

$161 €144

3.65%

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

$46.41 $46.41

$18.41 €16.50

152.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 $50.5

$32.74 €29.34

54.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.65 $34.65

$44.55 €39.92

-22.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 $10.82

$9.60 €8.60

12.71%

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

$1,518 $1,518

$668 €598

127.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$17.6K €15.8K

-4.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.25 $47.25

$102 €91.4

-53.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.06 $39.06

$44.46 €39.85

-12.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$98.5 €88.3

-17.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$124 €111

-13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 $2,256

$1,608 €1,441

40.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 $1,661

$1,190 €1,066

39.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 $3,044

$2,812 €2,520

8.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,997 $1,997

$2,013 €1,804

-0.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 $2,681

$7,839 €7,025

-65.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,035 $2,035

$4,576 €4,100

-55.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,468 $3,468

$1,575 €1,411

120.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

3.85

67.79%

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

Last update for Ithaca, NY: 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

Ithaca, NY

$1.7K 57.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 28.4% $471

Groceries & Markets

Ithaca, NY

$386 13.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 29.4% $114

Eating Out

Ithaca, NY

$339 11.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 28.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ithaca, NY

$264 9.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 19.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Ithaca, NY

$124 4.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 34.3% $42

Getting Around

Ithaca, NY

$64 2.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 0.8% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ithaca, NY

$56 2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 13.2% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,256 in Ithaca, NY 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 Ithaca, NY are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Ithaca, NY versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ithaca, NY

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

4 h ahead of Ithaca, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,283

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

On the map

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Between locations

Ithaca, NY Lisbon 5,560 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ithaca, NY
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

Ithaca, NY vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,893 in Ithaca, NY, $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,340 per month in Ithaca, NY and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,608 there versus $2,256 in Ithaca, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Ithaca, NY and $62 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Ithaca, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Lisbon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ithaca, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.