Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lexington, KY

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Lexington, KY: $2,223 and $2,209 a month, rent and utilities included.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Lexington, KY
🇺🇸 United States
$2,209
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lexington, KY

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 Lexington, KY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,209 in Lexington, KY.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Lexington, KY $2,209

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,249 in Lexington, KY.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Lexington, KY $3,249

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,289 in Lexington, KY.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Lexington, KY $4,289

Living in Lisbon is roughly 1% more expensive than in Lexington, KY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Lexington, KY 64% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Lexington, KY
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.67
$12.82 $12.82
28.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.5
$57.6 $57.6
6.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.03
$8.78 $8.78
28.36%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$5.00 $5.00
-38.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.48 $2.48
-8.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$2.14 $2.14
-19.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$5.05 $5.05
-32.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.02
$5.98 $5.98
-43.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Lexington, KY
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$0.78 $0.78
43.59%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.65
$2.79 $2.79
-33.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$4.10 $4.10
-62.68%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.53
$3.69 $3.69
7.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.35
$10.40 $10.40
22.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.02
$10.34 $10.34
-23.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.09
$14.40 $14.40
17.85%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$5.31 $5.31
-57.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.54 $1.54
13.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$5.52 $5.52
-66.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.28
$4.37 $4.37
-41.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$4.24 $4.24
-56.13%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$3.21 $3.21
-37.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$2.15 $2.15
-33.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$3.13 $3.13
-73.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.83
$8.68 $8.68
-24.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
$12.87 $12.87
-56.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
$2.68 $2.68
-52.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$4.30 $4.30
-51.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Lexington, KY
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$0.98 $0.98
139.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.30
$30.52 $30.52
44.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$4.91 $4.91
-18.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.81
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.00 $1.00
128.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$36.0K $36.0K
-6.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$25.9K $25.9K
51.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Lexington, KY
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$191 $191
-12.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.72
$105 $105
-82.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.43
$74.9 $74.9
-55.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Lexington, KY
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €40.93
$38.65 $38.65
19.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.07
$29.41 $29.41
-34.75%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.75
$14.86 $14.86
-33.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Lexington, KY
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €602
$2,261 $2,261
-70.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$24.8K $24.8K
-31.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Lexington, KY
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.1
$50.9 $50.9
98.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.70
$31.06 $31.06
47.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.9
$118 $118
-15.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$152 $152
-19.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Lexington, KY
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,436
$1,141 $1,141
41.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,065
$942 $942
27.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,545
$2,028 $2,028
41.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,770
$1,565 $1,565
27.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,740
$2,066 $2,066
266.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,831
$2,100 $2,100
105.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Lexington, KY
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,412
$3,968 $3,968
-59.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
6.82
-43.55%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lexington, KY: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Lexington, KY
$942 21.3% $256
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Lexington, KY
$386 43.2% $116
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Lexington, KY
$245 1% $2.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Lexington, KY
$371 69% $151
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Lexington, KY
$158 4.9% $8.2
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Lexington, KY
$68 4.1% $2.7
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Lexington, KY
$39 * 37.6% $24

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,141 in Lexington, KY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lexington, KY pays 150% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $58.0 in Lexington, KY. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $386, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇺🇸 Lexington, KY
🕒 Local time
18:17 6:17 PM
13:17 1:17 PM
5 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
322,570
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Lexington, KY 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Lexington, KY

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 Lexington, KY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Lexington, KY?
Lexington, KY wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lexington, KY the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Lisbon or in Lexington, KY?
On paper, salaries run 150% lower in Lexington, KY. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Lisbon compared to Lexington, KY?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,141 in Lexington, KY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Lisbon and in Lexington, KY?
Dining out is cheaper in Lexington, KY – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Lisbon compared to Lexington, KY?
All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $2,209 in Lexington, KY – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Lisbon or in Lexington, KY?
At $2,209 in Lexington, KY versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lexington, KY but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Lexington, KY the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Lisbon or Lexington, KY?
Both work as nomad bases, but Lexington, KY delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,209 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lexington, KY hard to pass up.
How safe is Lisbon compared to Lexington, KY?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Lexington, KY are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Lexington, KY gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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