Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Albany

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,513 in Albany, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Albany
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Albany Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Albany

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Albany

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Albany actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,513 in Albany.

Lisbon $2,202
Albany $2,513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,653 in Albany.

Lisbon $3,274
Albany $3,653

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,793 in Albany.

Lisbon $4,346
Albany $4,793

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 12% less than in Albany, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Albany 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$19.35 A$27.84

-11.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$83.1 A$120

-25.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.24 A$14.73

7.62%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.51 A$6.49

-30.82%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.37 A$3.41

-4.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.06 A$2.96

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$8.45 A$12.16

-59.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$7.43 A$10.69

-49.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.50 A$2.16

-22.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.65 A$3.81

-29.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.26 A$3.26

-31.86%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$5.33 A$7.67

-23.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.50 A$13.67

35.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.55 A$13.75

-17.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.66 A$21.10

20.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.27 A$6.14

-47.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$3.08 A$4.44

-43.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.27 A$4.70

-42.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.50 A$6.48

-43.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.81 A$4.05

-34.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.40 A$3.46

-17.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.11 A$3.04

-31.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.55 A$2.23

-50.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$41.20 A$59.3

-83.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$14.83 A$21.34

-61.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.77 A$6.87

-71.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$5.14 A$7.39

-58.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.81 A$4.05

-17.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$79.2 A$114

-43.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.53 A$5.08

11.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.58 A$2.27

-33.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$39.48 A$56.8

-56.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.19 A$1.71

84.03%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$27.3K A$39.3K

23.55%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$30.1K A$43.3K

27.15%

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

$164 €146

$200 A$288

-18.10%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$27.41 A$39.44

-32.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$47.33 A$68.1

-30.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$55.6 A$80.0

-17.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$17.47 A$25.14

6.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$14.43 A$20.76

-32.43%

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

$684 €608

$2,179 A$3,136

-68.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$20.1K A$28.9K

-12.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$78.6 A$113

31.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$53.8 A$77.4

-14.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$109 A$157

-8.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$120 A$173

3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,374 A$1,977

15.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,204 A$1,732

-2.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,130 A$3,065

33.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,842 A$2,651

8.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$5,793 A$8,337

34.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$4,841 A$6,966

-8.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,646 A$3,808

-39.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.84

-34.08%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Albany: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Albany

$1.2K 47.9% 3% $35

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Albany

$372 14.8% 36.1% $99

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Albany

$314 12.5% 27.1% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Albany

$275 10.9% 27.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Albany

$163 6.5% 3.4% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Albany

$84 3.4% 29.2% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Albany

$102 4.1% 61.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,374 in Albany. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albany pays 65% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $83.0 in Albany for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $372 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇺 Albany

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

00:05 12:05 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

31,128

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Albany 15,350 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Albany

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

Lisbon vs Albany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Albany. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Albany. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,374 in Albany. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $2,513 in Albany – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 78% less than in Albany. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,513 in Albany, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Albany. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,202 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Albany 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 14% less than in Albany. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.