Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bristol, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Bristol, VA: $2,038 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Bristol, VA
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Bristol, VA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Bristol, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bristol, 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 Bristol, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,038 in Bristol, VA.

Lisbon $2,202
Bristol, VA $2,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,040 in Bristol, VA.

Lisbon $3,274
Bristol, VA $3,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,041 in Bristol, VA.

Lisbon $4,346
Bristol, VA $4,041

Living in Lisbon is roughly 8% more expensive than in Bristol, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Bristol, VA 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$17.76 $17.76

-4.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$63.9 $63.9

-2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.82 $10.82

1.85%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.03 $4.03

-22.58%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.93 $1.93

17.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.76 $1.76

-1.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.59 $4.59

-25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$5.90 $5.90

-36.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.96 $0.96

21.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.00 $4.00

-53.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.33 $3.33

-53.75%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.69 $3.69

10.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$16.25 $16.25

-20.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$15.92 $15.92

-50.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$18.05 $18.05

-2.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$5.22 $5.22

-56.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.27 $1.27

37.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.70 $4.70

-59.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.59 $4.59

-44.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.84 $3.84

-51.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.90 $2.90

-32.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.00 $2.00

-27.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.34 $2.34

-67.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$8.54 $8.54

-21.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$15.55 $15.55

-63.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.45 $2.45

-44.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.67 $3.67

-42.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.05 $3.05

29.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.91 $1.91

-45.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$29.46 $29.46

-41.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.89 $0.89

146.07%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$34.5K $34.5K

-2.07%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$25.4K $25.4K

50.61%

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

$164 €146

$171 $171

-4.39%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$67.4 $67.4

-72.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$70.5 $70.5

-53.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$31.37 $31.37

46.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$15.98 $15.98

-38.99%

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

$684 €608

$1,465 $1,465

-53.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$24.8K $24.8K

-28.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$50.7 $50.7

104.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$36.93 $36.93

25.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$65.5 $65.5

52.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$90.6 $90.6

37.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,107 $1,107

43.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$831 $831

40.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,786 $1,786

59.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,389 $1,389

43.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,788 $1,788

335.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,800 $1,800

145.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,025 $3,025

-47.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.48

-40.59%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bristol, VA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Bristol, VA

$831 40.8% 28.9% $338

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Bristol, VA

$440 21.6% 61.1% $167

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Bristol, VA

$272 13.4% 10.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Bristol, VA

$309 15.2% 43.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Bristol, VA

$110 5.4% 34.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Bristol, VA

$63 3.1% 3.1% $2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bristol, VA

$13 * 0.6% 80% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,107 in Bristol, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol, VA pays 89% 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 $64.0 in Bristol, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $440 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Bristol, VA

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

10:17 10:17 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

17,141

💱 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 Bristol, VA 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bristol, 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 Bristol, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Bristol, VA differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,038 including rent). Bristol, VA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Bristol, VA. 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 $1,107 in Bristol, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $1,465 in Bristol, VA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bristol, VA – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,038 in Bristol, VA versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bristol, VA but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bristol, VA 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 Bristol, VA 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 Bristol, VA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.