Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Los Angeles, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $4,219 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 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
203

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Los Angeles, CA

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 Los Angeles, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $4,219 in Los Angeles, CA.

Lisbon $2,202
Los Angeles, CA $4,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $6,290 in Los Angeles, CA.

Lisbon $3,274
Los Angeles, CA $6,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $8,361 in Los Angeles, CA.

Lisbon $4,346
Los Angeles, CA $8,361

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 48% less than in Los Angeles, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Los Angeles, CA 211% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$26.68 $26.68

-36.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$119 $119

-47.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$15.19 $15.19

-27.45%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$6.12 $6.12

-49.02%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.79 $3.79

-40.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.78 $2.78

-37.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$7.85 $7.85

-56.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$9.87 $9.87

-62.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.33 $1.33

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.87 $4.87

-61.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.65 $4.65

-66.88%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$5.54 $5.54

-26.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.32 $11.32

14.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$15.99 $15.99

-50.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$19.56 $19.56

-9.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.99 $4.99

-54.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.28 $2.28

-23.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.89 $4.89

-61.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$5.34 $5.34

-52.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.41 $3.41

-45.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.81 $2.81

-29.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.01 $2.01

-27.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.45 $2.45

-68.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$11.56 $11.56

-41.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$14.80 $14.80

-61.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.94 $2.94

-53.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.72 $2.72

-22.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.71 $1.71

35.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$105 $105

-57.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.01 $3.01

31.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.81 $1.81

-41.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$32.13 $32.13

-46.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.62 $1.62

35.19%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$35.7K $35.7K

-5.34%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$26.9K $26.9K

42.39%

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

$164 €146

$280 $280

-41.47%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$77.1 $77.1

-76.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$81.4 $81.4

-59.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$76.4 $76.4

-39.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$11.81 $11.81

58.17%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$17.98 $17.98

-45.77%

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

$684 €608

$1,657 $1,657

-58.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$32.3K $32.3K

-45.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$89.3 $89.3

16.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$65.2 $65.2

-29.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$120 $120

-16.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$216 $216

-42.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$2,565 $2,565

-38.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$2,442 $2,442

-52.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$5,485 $5,485

-48.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$4,362 $4,362

-54.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$7,194 $7,194

8.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$7,065 $7,065

-37.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$4,187 $4,187

-61.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.86

-43.88%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Los Angeles, CA

$2.4K 57.9% 109% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Los Angeles, CA

$463 11% 69.7% $190

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Los Angeles, CA

$418 9.9% 68.8% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Los Angeles, CA

$438 10.4% 104% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Los Angeles, CA

$221 5.2% 31.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Los Angeles, CA

$112 2.7% 71.9% $47

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Los Angeles, CA

$124 3% 97.7% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $2,565 in Los Angeles, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays 162% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $119 in Los Angeles, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $463 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

16:30 4:30 PM

8 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

4,030,904

💱 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 Los Angeles, CA 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Los Angeles, CA

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 Los Angeles, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Los Angeles, CA differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $4,219 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 162% lower in Los Angeles, CA. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $2,565 in Los Angeles, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $1,657 in Los Angeles, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Los Angeles, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $4,219 in Los Angeles, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, CA. 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 Los Angeles, CA 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 92% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.