Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Costa Mesa, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,934 in Costa Mesa, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
189

Cost of Living Index in Costa Mesa, CA
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Costa Mesa, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Costa Mesa, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Costa Mesa, CA

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 Costa Mesa, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $3,934 in Costa Mesa, CA, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Costa Mesa, CA $3,934

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $5,396 in Costa Mesa, CA, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Costa Mesa, CA $5,396

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $6,858 in Costa Mesa, CA, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Costa Mesa, CA $6,858

Lisbon is about 44% cheaper than Costa Mesa, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Costa Mesa, CA sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Costa Mesa, CA by 189%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$20.01 $20.01

-16.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$79.6 $79.6

-22.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$14.83 $14.83

-23.40%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$5.80 $5.80

-48.79%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.37 $3.37

-32.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.42 $2.42

-28.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$7.21 $7.21

-52.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$9.36 $9.36

-64.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.09 $1.09

6.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$4.01 $4.01

-52.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.90 $4.90

-69.18%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.95 $4.95

-18.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.97 $12.97

-0.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$20.06 $20.06

-61.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$21.10 $21.10

-15.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.97 $4.97

-53.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.49 $2.49

-30.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.31 $4.31

-56.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$5.67 $5.67

-54.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$4.30 $4.30

-57.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.22 $2.22

-11.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.18 $2.18

-32.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.91 $1.91

-62.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$12.01 $12.01

-45.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$14.97 $14.97

-62.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.01 $2.01

-32.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$4.14 $4.14

-48.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.98 $1.98

17.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$70.3 $70.3

-36.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$6.09 $6.09

-36.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.47 $1.47

49.66%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$29.4K $29.4K

16.49%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.9K $26.9K

44.09%

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

$161 €145

$216 $216

-25.36%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$66.4 $66.4

-72.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$70.3 $70.3

-53.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$34.61 $34.61

28.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$12.24 $12.24

56.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$16.46 $16.46

-41.68%

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

$668 €600

$1,191 $1,191

-43.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$57.4 $57.4

77.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$47.93 $47.93

-7.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$94.2 $94.2

4.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$129 $129

-4.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$2,430 $2,430

-33.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$2,454 $2,454

-51.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$3,847 $3,847

-26.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$3,588 $3,588

-43.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$10.8K $10.8K

-27.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$7,444 $7,444

-38.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$5,983 $5,983

-73.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.39

-39.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Costa Mesa, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Costa Mesa, CA

$2.5K 62.4% 106% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Costa Mesa, CA

$475 12.1% 74.6% $203

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Costa Mesa, CA

$352 9% 45.1% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Costa Mesa, CA

$353 9% 66.1% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Costa Mesa, CA

$148 3.8% 10.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Costa Mesa, CA

$68 1.7% 5.9% $3.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Costa Mesa, CA

$84 * 2.1% 33.5% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $2,430 in Costa Mesa, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Costa Mesa, CA are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $80 in Costa Mesa, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $475 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Costa Mesa, CA

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

7 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

109,960

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Costa Mesa, CA 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Costa Mesa, CA

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 Costa Mesa, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Costa Mesa, CA costs about 78% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $5,900 in Costa Mesa, CA. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,608 there versus $2,430 in Costa Mesa, CA.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Costa Mesa, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $80 in Costa Mesa, CA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,210, than in Costa Mesa, CA at $3,934. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Costa Mesa, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,210 versus $3,934 in Costa Mesa, CA. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Costa Mesa, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.