Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Boston

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,437 in Boston, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Boston
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Boston Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Boston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Boston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,437 in Boston.

Lisbon $2,202
Boston $2,437

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,513 in Boston.

Lisbon $3,274
Boston $3,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,590 in Boston.

Lisbon $4,346
Boston $4,590

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 10% less than in Boston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Boston 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$26.65 £19.99

-36.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$80.6 £60.5

-22.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.83 £8.12

1.75%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.98 £3.74

-37.35%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.43 £1.83

-6.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.03 £1.53

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.74 £4.30

-40.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$5.57 £4.18

-32.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.48 £1.11

-20.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.59 £0.44

215.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.58 £1.18

-2.53%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.17 £3.13

-2.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.13 £6.85

41.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.22 £6.17

-3.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$16.62 £12.47

6.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.27 £2.46

-30.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.56 £1.17

12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.02 £2.26

-37.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.41 £2.56

-24.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.15 £0.87

60.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.78 £1.34

10.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.26 £0.95

15.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.30 £0.98

-40.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$16.21 £12.16

-58.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$8.56 £6.42

-33.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.34 £2.51

-58.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.02 £2.26

-30.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.53 £2.65

-34.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$97.5 £73.1

-54.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.14 £3.11

-4.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$4.03 £3.02

-73.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$31.58 £23.69

-45.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.93 £1.45

13.47%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$38.1K £28.6K

-11.41%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$39.6K £29.7K

-3.31%

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

$164 €146

$372 £279

-55.92%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$17.79 £13.35

3.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$44.84 £33.64

-26.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$45.71 £34.29

0.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$10.12 £7.59

-3.66%

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

$684 €608

$1,614 £1,211

-57.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$19.6K £14.7K

-9.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$54.2 £40.68

91.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$40.27 £30.22

14.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$72.2 £54.2

38.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$60.2 £45.16

107.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,222 £917

30.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,051 £789

11.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,143 £1,607

33.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,688 £1,266

18.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,514 £3,386

72.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$4,159 £3,121

6.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,582 £1,187

1.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.21

-26.10%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Boston: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Boston

$1.1K 43.1% 10.1% $118

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Boston

$285 11.7% 4.2% $11

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Boston

$363 14.9% 46.7% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Boston

$434 17.8% 102% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Boston

$102 4.2% 39.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Boston

$66 2.7% 0.9% $0.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Boston

$136 5.6% 116% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,222 in Boston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $81.0 in Boston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $285 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Boston

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

45,339

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Boston 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Boston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Boston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,222 in Boston. 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 $2,437 in Boston – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 119% less than in Boston. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,437 in Boston, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Boston. 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 Boston 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 11% less than in Boston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.