Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Edison, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,122 in Edison, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
151

Cost of Living Index in Edison, NJ
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Edison, NJ Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Edison, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Edison, NJ

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,122 in Edison, NJ.

Lisbon $2,210
Edison, NJ $3,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,397 in Edison, NJ.

Lisbon $3,275
Edison, NJ $4,397

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,671 in Edison, NJ.

Lisbon $4,341
Edison, NJ $5,671

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 29% less than in Edison, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Edison, NJ 129% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$18.26 $18.26

-8.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$59.8 $59.8

3.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.17 $9.17

23.88%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.08 $4.08

-27.21%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.03 $1.03

122.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.98 $0.98

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.44 $3.44

-1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.82 $6.82

-51.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.00 $1.00

16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.22 $3.22

-40.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$6.14 $6.14

-75.41%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.54 $2.54

58.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.49 $13.49

-4.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$10.34 $10.34

-24.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$19.70 $19.70

-9.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$5.93 $5.93

-61.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.54 $1.54

12.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.32 $4.32

-56.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$5.40 $5.40

-52.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.01 $3.01

-39.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$3.11 $3.11

-36.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$3.10 $3.10

-52.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.96 $1.96

-63.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$10.05 $10.05

-34.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$14.72 $14.72

-61.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.76 $1.76

-22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.54 $3.54

-39.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$5.84 $5.84

-60.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$199 $199

-77.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.05 $3.05

26.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.91 $0.91

17.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$42.35 $42.35

-61.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.90 $0.90

144.44%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$27.5K $27.5K

24.50%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.4K $26.4K

46.91%

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

$161 €145

$170 $170

-5.37%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$51.4 $51.4

-64.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$50.6 $50.6

-35.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$21.98 $21.98

102.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$14.98 $14.98

-35.91%

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

$668 €600

$2,006 $2,006

-66.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$15.8K $15.8K

11.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$50.8 $50.8

100.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$80.2 $80.2

-44.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$61.1 $61.1

61.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$88.5 $88.5

39.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$2,171 $2,171

-25.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,772 $1,772

-32.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$3,129 $3,129

-10.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$2,722 $2,722

-26.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$6,960 $6,960

-77.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.42

-40.03%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Edison, NJ: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Edison, NJ

$1.8K 56.8% 48.9% $582

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Edison, NJ

$408 13.1% 49.8% $136

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Edison, NJ

$261 8.4% 7.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Edison, NJ

$272 8.7% 28.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Edison, NJ

$126 4.1% 23.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Edison, NJ

$52 1.7% 18.5% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Edison, NJ

$230 7.4% 263% $166

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,171 in Edison, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edison, NJ pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $60 in Edison, NJ. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $408, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Edison, NJ

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

107,588

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Edison, NJ 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Edison, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $3,122 in Edison, NJ, so Lisbon is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% 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 $2,171 in Edison, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 78% less than in Edison, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,006 in Edison, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,122 in Edison, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Edison, NJ. 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.

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