Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Downey, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,058 in Downey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
147

Cost of Living Index in Downey, CA
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Downey, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Downey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,058 in Downey, CA.

Lisbon $2,210
Downey, CA $3,058

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,673 in Downey, CA.

Lisbon $3,275
Downey, CA $4,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $6,289 in Downey, CA.

Lisbon $4,341
Downey, CA $6,289

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 28% less than in Downey, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Downey, CA 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$25.21 $25.21

-33.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$80.0 $80.0

-22.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$14.90 $14.90

-23.76%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$5.67 $5.67

-47.62%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$3.04 $3.04

-24.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.44 $2.44

-28.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$7.37 $7.37

-53.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$9.34 $9.34

-64.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.10 $1.10

5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.97 $3.97

-51.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$4.75 $4.75

-68.21%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$4.87 $4.87

-17.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$12.90 $12.90

0.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$13.01 $13.01

-40.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$15.33 $15.33

15.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.70 $4.70

-51.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.66 $1.66

4.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.11 $4.11

-54.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$5.50 $5.50

-52.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$3.74 $3.74

-51.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.05 $3.05

-35.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.99 $1.99

-26.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.22 $2.22

-67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$11.55 $11.55

-43.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$14.72 $14.72

-61.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.00 $2.00

-32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.12 $4.12

-48.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$6.09 $6.09

-36.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.50 $1.50

46.67%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$28.8K $28.8K

18.74%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$26.9K $26.9K

43.85%

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

$161 €144

$169 $169

-4.58%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$68.3 $68.3

-73.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$72.6 $72.6

-54.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$35.23 $35.23

26.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$15.33 $15.33

-37.38%

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

$668 €596

$1,159 $1,159

-42.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$59.0 $59.0

72.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$44.13 $44.13

0.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$93.3 $93.3

5.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$145 $145

-14.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$1,989 $1,989

-19.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$1,715 $1,715

-30.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$3,721 $3,721

-24.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$3,279 $3,279

-38.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$5,713 $5,713

37.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$5,622 $5,622

-18.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$4,281 $4,281

-63.21%

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 Downey, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Downey, CA

$1.7K 56.1% 44.1% $524

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Downey, CA

$416 13.6% 52.7% $144

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Downey, CA

$392 12.8% 61.5% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Downey, CA

$310 10.1% 45.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Downey, CA

$153 5% 7.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Downey, CA

$66 2.2% 3.4% $2.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Downey, CA

$6.1 * 0.2% 90.4% $57

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,989 in Downey, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Downey, CA pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $80 in Downey, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $416 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Downey, CA

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

04:47 4:47 AM

8 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

114,355

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Downey, CA 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Downey, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,989 in Downey, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Downey, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $3,058 in Downey, CA – Lisbon is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,058 in Downey, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Downey, CA. 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 Downey, CA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Downey, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.