Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and El Cerrito, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,038 in El Cerrito, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
148

Cost of Living Index in El Cerrito, CA
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El Cerrito, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

El Cerrito, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,038 in El Cerrito, CA.

Lisbon $2,210
El Cerrito, CA $3,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,549 in El Cerrito, CA.

Lisbon $3,275
El Cerrito, CA $4,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $6,060 in El Cerrito, CA.

Lisbon $4,341
El Cerrito, CA $6,060

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 27% less than in El Cerrito, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, El Cerrito, CA 123% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$24.55 $24.55

-32.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$111 $111

-44.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$15.21 $15.21

-25.31%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.74 $5.74

-48.26%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.02 $3.02

-24.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.54 $2.54

-31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$8.15 $8.15

-58.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$8.22 $8.22

-59.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.46 $1.46

-20.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$4.29 $4.29

-55.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.81 $4.81

-68.61%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.15 $5.15

-21.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$16.02 $16.02

-19.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$11.91 $11.91

-34.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$13.39 $13.39

32.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.43 $5.43

-57.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.73 $2.73

-36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.28 $4.28

-56.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$6.03 $6.03

-57.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.37 $3.37

-45.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.62 $3.62

-45.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.88 $2.88

-48.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.62 $2.62

-72.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$11.90 $11.90

-44.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$12.78 $12.78

-56.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.09 $2.09

-34.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.49 $2.49

-14.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.96 $1.96

18.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$60.5 $60.5

-26.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.92 $3.92

-1.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.05 $2.05

-47.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$38.49 $38.49

-57.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.55 $1.55

41.94%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.8K $27.8K

22.78%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$25.8K $25.8K

49.94%

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

$161 €144

$140 $140

15.49%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$54.2 $54.2

-66.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$75.8 $75.8

-56.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$34.60 $34.60

28.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$18.17 $18.17

-47.17%

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

$668 €598

$2,228 $2,228

-70.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$23.9K $23.9K

-26.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$52.4 $52.4

94.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$40.36 $40.36

10.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$34.63 $34.63

184.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$60.7 $60.7

103.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,876 $1,876

-14.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,703 $1,703

-30.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$3,268 $3,268

-13.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$2,890 $2,890

-30.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,942 $2,942

166.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,442 $2,442

87.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$5,714 $5,714

-72.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.69

-42.45%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for El Cerrito, CA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

El Cerrito, CA

$1.7K 56.1% 43.1% $513

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

El Cerrito, CA

$437 14.4% 60.6% $165

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

El Cerrito, CA

$390 12.9% 60.9% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

El Cerrito, CA

$270 8.9% 26.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

El Cerrito, CA

$85 2.8% 49% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

El Cerrito, CA

$71 2.3% 11.3% $7.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

El Cerrito, CA

$82 2.7% 30.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,876 in El Cerrito, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Cerrito, CA pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $111 in El Cerrito, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $437 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 El Cerrito, CA

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

21:29 9:29 PM

8 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

25,508

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon El Cerrito, CA 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
El Cerrito, CA

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs El Cerrito, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in El Cerrito, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 72% 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 $1,876 in El Cerrito, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $111 in El Cerrito, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $3,038 in El Cerrito, CA – Lisbon is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,038 in El Cerrito, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in El Cerrito, 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 El Cerrito, CA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in El Cerrito, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.