Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Gainesville, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,545 in Gainesville, VA, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Gainesville, VA
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Gainesville, VA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Gainesville, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Gainesville, VA

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 Gainesville, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,545 in Gainesville, VA.

Lisbon $2,202
Gainesville, VA $2,545

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,898 in Gainesville, VA.

Lisbon $3,274
Gainesville, VA $3,898

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $5,251 in Gainesville, VA.

Lisbon $4,346
Gainesville, VA $5,251

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 14% less than in Gainesville, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Gainesville, VA 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$21.83 $21.83

-21.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$74.7 $74.7

-16.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$12.16 $12.16

-9.38%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$6.13 $6.13

-49.10%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.70 $2.70

-15.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.47 $2.47

-29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.40 $6.40

-46.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$7.82 $7.82

-52.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.10 $1.10

6.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.05 $4.05

-54.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$5.32 $5.32

-71.05%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$5.61 $5.61

-27.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$16.94 $16.94

-23.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$14.81 $14.81

-46.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$18.37 $18.37

-3.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$5.42 $5.42

-58.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.29 $2.29

-23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$5.15 $5.15

-63.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$5.98 $5.98

-57.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.90 $2.90

-36.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.70 $3.70

-46.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.27 $2.27

-36.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.79 $2.79

-72.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$9.62 $9.62

-30.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$13.99 $13.99

-59.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.28 $2.28

-39.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.66 $4.66

-54.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.77 $1.77

31.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.01 $3.01

31.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.49 $1.49

-29.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$22.74 $22.74

-24.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.05 $1.05

108.57%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$35.2K $35.2K

-4.01%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$25.3K $25.3K

51.10%

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

$164 €146

$98.0 $98.0

67.22%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$48.31 $48.31

-61.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$59.7 $59.7

-44.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$47.22 $47.22

-2.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$17.86 $17.86

-45.41%

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

$684 €608

$1,935 $1,935

-64.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$32.5K $32.5K

-45.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$53.1 $53.1

95.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$43.46 $43.46

6.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$87.5 $87.5

13.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$107 $107

16.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,827 $1,827

-13.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,281 $1,281

-8.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,332 $2,332

22.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,320 $2,320

-14.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,932 $2,932

165.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,577 $2,577

71.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.63

-41.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gainesville, VA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Gainesville, VA

$1.3K 50.3% 9.6% $112

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Gainesville, VA

$474 18.6% 73.6% $201

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Gainesville, VA

$353 13.9% 42.6% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Gainesville, VA

$206 8.1% 4.3% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Gainesville, VA

$131 5.2% 22.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Gainesville, VA

$83 3.3% 26.9% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Gainesville, VA

$18 * 0.7% 72.1% $45

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,827 in Gainesville, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $75.0 in Gainesville, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $474 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Gainesville, VA

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

09:19 9:19 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

11,481

💱 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 Gainesville, VA 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Gainesville, VA

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 Gainesville, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Gainesville, VA differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,545 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $3,818 in Gainesville, VA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,827 in Gainesville, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Gainesville, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $2,545 in Gainesville, VA – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,545 in Gainesville, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Gainesville, VA. 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 Gainesville, VA 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 16% less than in Gainesville, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.