Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Forest, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $3,057 in Lake Forest, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Lake Forest, CA
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Lake Forest, CA Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lake Forest, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,057

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,057 per month in Lake Forest, CA vs $2,206 in Lisbon, rent included.

Lake Forest, CA $3,057
Lisbon $2,206

A couple spends around $4,627 per month in Lake Forest, CA vs $3,276 in Lisbon, rent included.

Lake Forest, CA $4,627
Lisbon $3,276

A family of three spends $6,196 per month in Lake Forest, CA vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Lake Forest, CA $6,196
Lisbon $4,346

Lake Forest, CA costs about 39% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lake Forest, CA and Lisbon sit above the global median – Lake Forest, CA by 126%, Lisbon by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$16.86 €15.04

45.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.7 $99.7

$61.0 €54.5

63.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 $11.72

$10.98 €9.80

6.74%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$3.05 €2.72

91.48%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$2.28 €2.04

34.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.68 €1.50

45.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.68 $8.68

$3.44 €3.07

152.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.62 $9.62

$3.91 €3.48

146.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.15 €1.02

White Bread (500g)

$5.00 $5.00

$1.89 €1.68

164.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$1.50 €1.34

228.67%

Eggs

$5.44 $5.44

$4.12 €3.67

32.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 $12.64

$13.01 €11.60

-2.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.80 $15.80

$8.04 €7.18

96.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 $14.18

$17.89 €15.96

-20.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.27 €2.03

128.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.74 €1.56

2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.82 €1.62

129.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$2.69 €2.40

135.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.77 €1.58

89.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.94 €1.73

43.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.46 €1.31

32.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.76 €0.68

202.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.63 $11.63

$6.66 €5.94

74.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.97 $14.97

$5.64 €5.03

165.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.29 €1.15

32.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.14 €1.91

24.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.98 €3.55

-10.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.64 €0.57

198.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.48 $35.48

$18.93 €16.88

87.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.28 €2.03

-29.82%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.4K €29.8K

-16.47%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$38.5K €34.3K

-30.59%

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

$271 $271

$158 €141

71.29%

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

$72.6 $72.6

$17.54 €15.64

314.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.2 $80.2

$31.18 €27.82

157.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.2 $99.2

$44.64 €39.82

122.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 $15.18

$9.58 €8.54

58.46%

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

$1,716 $1,716

$674 €601

154.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K $35.9K

$18.7K €16.7K

91.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 $72.5

$102 €91.2

-29.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.98 $39.98

$45.90 €40.94

-12.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$102 €91.2

-20.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$122 €109

33.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,641 €1,463

29.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 $1,502

$1,187 €1,059

26.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,202 $3,202

$2,825 €2,519

13.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,761 $2,761

$2,018 €1,800

36.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,048 $8,048

$7,836 €6,989

2.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,904 $6,904

$4,701 €4,193

46.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,348 $6,348

$1,687 €1,505

276.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

3.82

71.73%

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

Last update for Lake Forest, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lake Forest, CA

$1.5K 49.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 20.9% $315

Groceries & Markets

Lake Forest, CA

$442 14.5%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 37.9% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lake Forest, CA

$424 13.9%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 51.2% $217

Eating Out

Lake Forest, CA

$386 12.6%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 36.5% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Lake Forest, CA

$160 5.2%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 4.5% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lake Forest, CA

$130 4.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 50.7% $66

Getting Around

Lake Forest, CA

$13 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 361% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,127 in Lake Forest, CA versus $1,641 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 Lake Forest, CA are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Lake Forest, CA versus $61 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $442 vs $275 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lake Forest, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

8 h ahead of Lake Forest, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,367

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

Lake Forest, CA Lisbon 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lake Forest, CA
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

Lake Forest, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,057 in Lake Forest, CA, $2,206 in Lisbon – Lisbon comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,586 per month in Lake Forest, CA and $3,309 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 $1,641 there versus $2,127 in Lake Forest, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,057 in Lake Forest, CA and $2,206 in Lisbon. That makes Lisbon about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,716 per month in Lake Forest, CA and $674 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,206, than in Lake Forest, CA at $3,057. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lake Forest, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Lake Forest, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.