Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Jersey City, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,625 in Jersey City, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 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
174

Cost of Living Index in Jersey City, NJ
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Jersey City, NJ Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Jersey City, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Jersey City, 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 Jersey City, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,625 in Jersey City, NJ.

Lisbon $2,210
Jersey City, NJ $3,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $5,285 in Jersey City, NJ.

Lisbon $3,275
Jersey City, NJ $5,285

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $6,944 in Jersey City, NJ.

Lisbon $4,341
Jersey City, NJ $6,944

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 39% less than in Jersey City, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Jersey City, NJ 166% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$24.75 $24.75

-32.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$98.7 $98.7

-37.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$10.98 $10.98

3.46%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$5.58 $5.58

-46.77%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.23 $2.23

2.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.54 $1.54

12.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$8.10 $8.10

-58.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.77 $7.77

-57.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.33 $1.33

-12.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$4.17 $4.17

-54.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$7.42 $7.42

-79.65%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$5.86 $5.86

-31.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.46 $12.46

3.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$12.03 $12.03

-35.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$16.95 $16.95

4.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$5.33 $5.33

-56.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.72 $1.72

0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$6.14 $6.14

-69.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$6.30 $6.30

-58.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$5.66 $5.66

-67.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$3.86 $3.86

-48.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.79 $2.79

-47.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.96 $2.96

-75.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$11.88 $11.88

-44.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$24.89 $24.89

-77.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.69 $1.69

-19.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$5.30 $5.30

-59.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.08 $3.08

-24.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$87.5 $87.5

-48.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.92 $2.92

31.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.08 $2.08

-48.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$23.92 $23.92

-31.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.12 $1.12

96.43%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$28.1K $28.1K

21.55%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.6K $26.6K

45.47%

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

$161 €145

$209 $209

-22.86%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$73.0 $73.0

-74.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$66.2 $66.2

-50.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$55.8 $55.8

-20.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$43.70 $43.70

-56.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$14.21 $14.21

-32.44%

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

$668 €600

$2,414 $2,414

-72.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$23.3K $23.3K

-24.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$41.18 $41.18

147.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$57.6 $57.6

-22.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$76.7 $76.7

28.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$154 $154

-19.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$3,670 $3,670

-56.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$2,073 $2,073

-42.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$5,889 $5,889

-52.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$3,397 $3,397

-40.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$8,299 $8,299

-5.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$5,602 $5,602

-18.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$6,101 $6,101

-74.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.75

-42.96%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Jersey City, NJ: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Jersey City, NJ

$2.1K 57.2% 74.2% $883

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Jersey City, NJ

$490 13.5% 79.8% $217

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Jersey City, NJ

$369 10.2% 52.1% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Jersey City, NJ

$348 9.6% 64% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Jersey City, NJ

$148 4.1% 10.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Jersey City, NJ

$84 2.3% 32.1% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Jersey City, NJ

$113 3.1% 79% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $3,670 in Jersey City, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jersey City, NJ pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $99 in Jersey City, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $490 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Jersey City, NJ

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

09:04 9:04 AM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

292,449

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Jersey City, NJ 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Jersey City, NJ

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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 Jersey City, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 64% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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 $3,670 in Jersey City, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 49% less than in Jersey City, NJ. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,414 in Jersey City, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,625 in Jersey City, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Jersey City, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Jersey City, NJ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Jersey City, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.