Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Barnstable, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,398 in Barnstable, MA, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Barnstable, MA
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Barnstable, MA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Barnstable, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Barnstable, MA

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 Barnstable, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,398 in Barnstable, MA.

Lisbon $2,202
Barnstable, MA $2,398

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,546 in Barnstable, MA.

Lisbon $3,274
Barnstable, MA $3,546

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,695 in Barnstable, MA.

Lisbon $4,346
Barnstable, MA $4,695

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 8% less than in Barnstable, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Barnstable, MA 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$18.23 $18.23

-6.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$74.0 $74.0

-15.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.08 $10.08

9.33%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.98 $3.98

-21.61%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.12 $2.12

7.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.67 $1.67

4.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.15 $5.15

-33.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.88 $6.88

-45.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.04 $1.04

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.05 $3.05

-39.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.10 $4.10

-62.44%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.12 $4.12

-1.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$6.43 $6.43

100.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.68 $8.68

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$8.65 $8.65

103.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.14 $4.14

-45.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.80 $1.80

-2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.48 $4.48

-57.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.61 $3.61

-29.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.21 $2.21

-16.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.14 $2.14

-7.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.93 $1.93

-24.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.44 $2.44

-68.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$12.18 $12.18

-44.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$12.75 $12.75

-55.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.17 $2.17

-36.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.00 $4.00

-47.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.95 $1.95

18.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$34.68 $34.68

28.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.40 $3.40

16.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$3.75 $3.75

-72.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$25.52 $25.52

-32.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.03 $1.03

112.62%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$27.3K $27.3K

23.62%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$24.4K $24.4K

57.05%

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

$164 €146

$101 $101

62.06%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$60.7 $60.7

-69.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$63.8 $63.8

-48.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$41.77 $41.77

9.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$24.38 $24.38

-23.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$13.74 $13.74

-29.04%

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

$684 €608

$1,833 $1,833

-62.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$29.7K $29.7K

-40.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$55.9 $55.9

85.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$37.94 $37.94

21.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$80.0 $80.0

24.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$99.5 $99.5

25.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,579 $1,579

0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,315 $1,315

-11.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,496 $2,496

14.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,179 $2,179

-8.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,718 $2,718

186.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,379 $2,379

85.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$4,584 $4,584

-65.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.64

-42.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barnstable, MA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Barnstable, MA

$1.3K 54.8% 12.4% $145

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Barnstable, MA

$322 13.4% 18% $49

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Barnstable, MA

$278 11.6% 12.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Barnstable, MA

$226 9.4% 4.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Barnstable, MA

$123 5.1% 27% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Barnstable, MA

$69 2.9% 5.9% $3.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Barnstable, MA

$65 2.7% 2.7% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,579 in Barnstable, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barnstable, MA pays 187% 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 $74.0 in Barnstable, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $322 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Barnstable, MA

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

44,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Barnstable, MA 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Barnstable, MA

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 Barnstable, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Barnstable, MA differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,398 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 187% lower in Barnstable, MA. 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 $1,579 in Barnstable, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 28% less than in Barnstable, MA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $1,833 in Barnstable, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,398 in Barnstable, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Barnstable, MA. 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Barnstable, MA 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 9% less than in Barnstable, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.