Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Iowa City, IA

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Iowa City, IA: $2,210 and $2,251 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Iowa City, IA

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 Iowa City, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,251 in Iowa City, IA.

Lisbon $2,210
Iowa City, IA $2,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,264 in Iowa City, IA.

Lisbon $3,275
Iowa City, IA $3,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,276 in Iowa City, IA.

Lisbon $4,341
Iowa City, IA $4,276

Monthly costs are close between Lisbon and Iowa City, IA; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Iowa City, IA 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$15.12 $15.12

10.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$67.3 $67.3

-8.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$9.03 $9.03

25.80%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$5.54 $5.54

-46.39%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$2.77 $2.77

-17.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.23 $2.23

-21.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$4.86 $4.86

-30.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$7.13 $7.13

-53.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.92 $0.92

26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.79 $2.79

-31.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.02 $2.02

-25.25%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$3.71 $3.71

8.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$9.43 $9.43

37.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$10.64 $10.64

-26.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$19.95 $19.95

-10.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.37 $3.37

-31.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.22 $1.22

41.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.65 $2.65

-29.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$4.87 $4.87

-46.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.98 $1.98

-8.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.36 $2.36

-16.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.71 $1.71

-14.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.38 $2.38

-69.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$10.13 $10.13

-35.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$13.70 $13.70

-59.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.72 $1.72

-20.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.54 $4.54

-52.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$3.91 $3.91

-1.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.97 $1.97

-45.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$43.67 $43.67

-62.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.99 $0.99

122.22%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$27.2K $27.2K

25.80%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$25.8K $25.8K

50.21%

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

$161 €144

$271 $271

-40.61%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$51.5 $51.5

-64.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$81.6 $81.6

-59.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$29.80 $29.80

49.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

$19.65 $19.65

-2.80%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$13.86 $13.86

-30.74%

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

$668 €596

$1,292 $1,292

-48.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$23.7K $23.7K

-25.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$64.4 $64.4

58.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$49.68 $49.68

-10.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$98.6 $98.6

-0.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$115 $115

7.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$1,242 $1,242

29.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$1,003 $1,003

18.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$1,933 $1,933

45.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$1,637 $1,637

22.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$3,514 $3,514

123.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$1,811 $1,811

152.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$3,822 $3,822

-58.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.45

-40.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6% 15.7% $187

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6% 29.1% $79

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1% 12.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Iowa City, IA

$404 18% 90.5% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6% 11.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6% 9.7% $6.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6% 78.2% $49

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,242 in Iowa City, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $67 in Iowa City, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $352 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

17:26 5:26 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

74,828

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Iowa City, IA 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Iowa City, IA

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 Iowa City, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 59% 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 $1,242 in Iowa City, IA. 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 $67 in Iowa City, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,292 in Iowa City, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 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 Iowa City, IA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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