Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Houston, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,625 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Houston, TX
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Houston, TX Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Houston, TX

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 Houston, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,625 in Houston, TX.

Lisbon $2,210
Houston, TX $2,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,794 in Houston, TX.

Lisbon $3,275
Houston, TX $3,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,963 in Houston, TX.

Lisbon $4,341
Houston, TX $4,963

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 16% less than in Houston, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Houston, TX 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$20.40 $20.40

-18.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$75.1 $75.1

-17.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.82 $9.82

15.68%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$5.24 $5.24

-43.32%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.72 $2.72

-15.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.25 $2.25

-22.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.17 $6.17

-44.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.95 $7.95

-58.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.84 $0.84

38.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.24 $3.24

-41.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.10 $4.10

-63.17%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.25 $3.25

23.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$11.11 $11.11

16.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$12.65 $12.65

-38.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$16.40 $16.40

8.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.12 $4.12

-44.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.47 $1.47

17.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.05 $3.05

-39.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.67 $3.67

-29.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.19 $2.19

-16.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.71 $2.71

-27.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.95 $1.95

-24.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.50 $2.50

-71.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$10.09 $10.09

-34.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$14.47 $14.47

-61.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.48 $2.48

-45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.91 $2.91

-26.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.26 $1.26

84.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$74.4 $74.4

-39.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.85 $2.85

35.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.48 $1.48

-27.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$23.92 $23.92

-31.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.97 $0.97

126.80%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$34.4K $34.4K

-0.68%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.4K $26.4K

46.77%

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

$161 €145

$198 $198

-18.52%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$65.2 $65.2

-71.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$75.3 $75.3

-56.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$35.73 $35.73

24.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$20.98 $20.98

-8.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$15.06 $15.06

-36.25%

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

$668 €600

$1,901 $1,901

-64.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$22.1K $22.1K

-20.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$49.81 $49.81

104.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$47.04 $47.04

-5.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$103 $103

-4.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$94.0 $94.0

31.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,742 $1,742

-7.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,304 $1,304

-8.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$3,449 $3,449

-18.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$2,057 $2,057

-2.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,659 $2,659

194.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,785 $1,785

156.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$4,293 $4,293

-63.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.7

-42.54%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Houston, TX: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Houston, TX

$1.3K 49.7% 9.5% $114

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Houston, TX

$373 14.2% 36.9% $101

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Houston, TX

$322 12.3% 32.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Houston, TX

$338 12.9% 59.3% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Houston, TX

$132 5% 20.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Houston, TX

$66 2.5% 3.3% $2.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Houston, TX

$90 3.4% 41.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,742 in Houston, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX 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 $75 in Houston, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $373 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,304,580

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Houston, TX 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Houston, TX

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 Houston, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Houston, TX. 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 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 $1,742 in Houston, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Houston, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $75 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.