Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Alexandria, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $3,294 in Alexandria, VA, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
159

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, VA
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Alexandria, VA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Alexandria, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Alexandria, VA

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 Alexandria, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,294 in Alexandria, VA.

Lisbon $2,206
Alexandria, VA $3,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $4,527 in Alexandria, VA.

Lisbon $3,276
Alexandria, VA $4,527

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $5,760 in Alexandria, VA.

Lisbon $4,346
Alexandria, VA $5,760

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 33% less than in Alexandria, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Alexandria, VA 144% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$20.12 $20.12

-16.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$106 $106

-42.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$12.16 $12.16

-9.70%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$4.48 $4.48

-31.92%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.75 $2.75

-17.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$2.26 $2.26

-25.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$6.57 $6.57

-47.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$8.76 $8.76

-55.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.19 $1.19

-3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.88 $3.88

-51.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$3.95 $3.95

-62.03%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$4.59 $4.59

-10.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$16.36 $16.36

-20.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$15.61 $15.61

-48.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$20.23 $20.23

-11.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$6.29 $6.29

-63.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.35 $1.35

28.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$7.52 $7.52

-75.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$8.02 $8.02

-66.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.25 $2.25

-21.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.75 $2.75

-29.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.80 $2.80

-47.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.57 $2.57

-70.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$9.42 $9.42

-29.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$14.69 $14.69

-61.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.77 $1.77

-27.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$3.81 $3.81

-43.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.47 $2.47

-6.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

$24.58 $24.58

79.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$4.95 $4.95

-19.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.65 $1.65

-61.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$24.87 $24.87

-23.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$1.03 $1.03

121.36%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$30.7K $30.7K

8.67%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$26.3K $26.3K

46.49%

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

$158 €141

$241 $241

-34.23%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$53.1 $53.1

-66.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$76.7 $76.7

-59.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$47.94 $47.94

-6.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$18.17 $18.17

-47.28%

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

$674 €598

$2,002 $2,002

-66.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$33.0K $33.0K

-43.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$47.22 $47.22

116.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$48.92 $48.92

-6.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$120 $120

-15.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$134 $134

-9.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$2,677 $2,677

-38.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$1,829 $1,829

-35.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$4,064 $4,064

-30.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$2,423 $2,423

-16.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

$5,947 $5,947

31.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

$3,809 $3,809

23.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$6,105 $6,105

-72.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.64

-42.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Alexandria, VA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Alexandria, VA

$1.8K 55.6% 54.1% $642

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Alexandria, VA

$483 14.7% 75.8% $208

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Alexandria, VA

$322 9.8% 31.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Alexandria, VA

$370 11.2% 78.9% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Alexandria, VA

$158 4.8% 5.8% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Alexandria, VA

$84 2.6% 32.1% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Alexandria, VA

$48 1.5% 21.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $2,677 in Alexandria, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, VA pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $106 in Alexandria, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $483 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Alexandria, VA

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

13:57 1:57 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

160,035

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Alexandria, VA 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Alexandria, VA

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 Alexandria, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $3,294 in Alexandria, VA, so Lisbon is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $2,677 in Alexandria, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $3,294 in Alexandria, VA – Lisbon is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria, VA runs roughly 44% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,294 in Alexandria, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Alexandria, VA. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

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