Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and East Lansing, MI

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in East Lansing, MI: $2,223 and $2,318 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in East Lansing, MI
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East Lansing, MI Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

East Lansing, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in East Lansing, MI

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 East Lansing, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,318 in East Lansing, MI.

Lisbon $2,223
East Lansing, MI $2,318

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,429 in East Lansing, MI.

Lisbon $3,271
East Lansing, MI $3,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,540 in East Lansing, MI.

Lisbon $4,319
East Lansing, MI $4,540

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 4% less than in East Lansing, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, East Lansing, MI 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$16.62 $16.62

-0.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$73.9 $73.9

-17.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$12.21 $12.21

-7.70%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.24 $5.24

-41.60%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.46 $2.46

-8.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.20 $2.20

-21.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$4.93 $4.93

-31.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.47 $6.47

-47.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.84 $0.84

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.92 $2.92

-36.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$5.18 $5.18

-70.46%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.75 $2.75

44.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.93 $10.93

16.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$16.78 $16.78

-52.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$16.59 $16.59

2.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$5.24 $5.24

-56.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.53 $1.53

14.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$6.76 $6.76

-72.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.61 $3.61

-28.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$5.81 $5.81

-67.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$5.66 $5.66

-64.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.15 $2.15

-33.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$3.96 $3.96

-79.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$9.58 $9.58

-31.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$16.14 $16.14

-65.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.94 $1.94

-34.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.52 $1.52

36.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.60 $1.60

46.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$50.5 $50.5

-12.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$9.80 $9.80

-59.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.20 $3.20

-65.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$9.93 $9.93

67.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.97 $0.97

135.05%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$34.5K $34.5K

-2.34%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$25.8K $25.8K

52.18%

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

$167 €149

$173 $173

-2.92%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$54.1 $54.1

-65.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$63.1 $63.1

-47.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$36.22 $36.22

27.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$15.24 $15.24

25.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$11.21 $11.21

-12.22%

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

$677 €602

$645 $645

5.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$11.0K $11.0K

54.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$54.2 $54.2

86.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$37.29 $37.29

22.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$69.0 $69.0

44.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$85.0 $85.0

44.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,231 $1,231

31.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,041 $1,041

14.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,063 $2,063

38.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,684 $1,684

18.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,070 $2,070

266.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,594 $1,594

170.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$6,117 $6,117

-74.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.56

-41.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for East Lansing, MI: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

East Lansing, MI

$1K 44.9% 13% $156

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

East Lansing, MI

$446 19.3% 65.6% $177

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

East Lansing, MI

$289 12.5% 19.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

East Lansing, MI

$290 12.5% 32% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

East Lansing, MI

$110 4.8% 33.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

East Lansing, MI

$59 2.5% 10.7% $7.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

East Lansing, MI

$83 3.6% 31.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,231 in East Lansing, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

East Lansing, MI pays 285% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $74.0 in East Lansing, MI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $446 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 East Lansing, MI

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

05:34 5:34 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

47,741

💱 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 East Lansing, MI 6,150 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
East Lansing, MI

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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 East Lansing, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and East Lansing, MI differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,318 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 285% lower in East Lansing, MI. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,231 in East Lansing, MI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $2,318 in East Lansing, MI – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 14% less than in East Lansing, MI. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,318 in East Lansing, MI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in East Lansing, MI. 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 East Lansing, MI 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 4% less than in East Lansing, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.