Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bel Air, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,655 in Bel Air, MD, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Bel Air, MD
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Bel Air, MD Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Bel Air, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bel Air, MD

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 Bel Air, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $2,655 in Bel Air, MD, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Bel Air, MD $2,655

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $3,800 in Bel Air, MD, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Bel Air, MD $3,800

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $4,945 in Bel Air, MD, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Bel Air, MD $4,945

Lisbon is about 17% cheaper than Bel Air, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Bel Air, MD sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Bel Air, MD by 96%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$15.74 $15.74

8.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$68.4 $68.4

-8.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.19 $10.19

8.15%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.35 $5.35

-41.68%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.77 $1.77

28.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.72 $1.72

1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.38 $6.38

-46.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.48 $6.48

-42.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.01 $1.01

15.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.45 $3.45

-46.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.23 $4.23

-63.59%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.12 $4.12

-1.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$12.25 $12.25

5.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$11.63 $11.63

-32.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$17.12 $17.12

3.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$5.13 $5.13

-55.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.58 $1.58

10.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.21 $4.21

-55.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.80 $4.80

-46.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.83 $2.83

-34.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.02 $3.02

-34.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.18 $2.18

-33.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.22 $2.22

-65.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$10.18 $10.18

-34.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$15.22 $15.22

-62.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.98 $1.98

-30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.32 $3.32

-36.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.86 $1.86

24.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$101 $101

-56.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.10 $3.10

27.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.71 $1.71

-38.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$29.88 $29.88

-42.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.06 $1.06

106.60%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$28.2K $28.2K

19.92%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$25.7K $25.7K

49.05%

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

$164 €146

$202 $202

-18.86%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$57.4 $57.4

-67.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$70.4 $70.4

-53.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$35.99 $35.99

27.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$38.52 $38.52

-51.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$12.65 $12.65

-22.92%

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

$684 €608

$1,424 $1,424

-51.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$23.3K $23.3K

-24.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$47.79 $47.79

117.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$41.48 $41.48

11.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$94.4 $94.4

5.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$100 $100

24.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,814 $1,814

-12.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,339 $1,339

-12.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,585 $2,585

10.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,057 $2,057

-3.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,551 $2,551

205.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,446 $2,446

80.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$5,092 $5,092

-68.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.57

-41.40%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bel Air, MD: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Bel Air, MD

$1.3K 50.4% 14.6% $170

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Bel Air, MD

$397 15% 45.4% $124

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Bel Air, MD

$279 10.5% 12.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Bel Air, MD

$330 12.4% 53.2% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Bel Air, MD

$128 4.8% 24.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Bel Air, MD

$61 2.3% 6.2% $4.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bel Air, MD

$120 4.5% 91.1% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,814 in Bel Air, MD. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 218% higher in Bel Air, MD, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $68.0 in Bel Air, MD. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $397 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Bel Air, MD

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

21:23 9:23 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

8,253

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Bel Air, MD 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bel Air, MD

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 Bel Air, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon, $2,655 in Bel Air, MD – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $3,982 in Bel Air, MD. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,202 in Lisbon and $2,655 in Bel Air, MD. That's a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 128% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Bel Air, MD at $2,655. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bel Air, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,202 in Lisbon to $2,655 in Bel Air, MD. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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