Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and McAllen, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in McAllen, TX: $1,937 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in McAllen, TX
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McAllen, TX Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

McAllen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,937 in McAllen, TX.

Lisbon $2,210
McAllen, TX $1,937

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,918 in McAllen, TX.

Lisbon $3,275
McAllen, TX $2,918

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,900 in McAllen, TX.

Lisbon $4,341
McAllen, TX $3,900

Living in Lisbon is roughly 14% more expensive than in McAllen, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, McAllen, TX 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$18.25 $18.25

-8.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$74.2 $74.2

-16.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$7.83 $7.83

45.08%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.51 $4.51

-34.15%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.45 $2.45

-6.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.02 $2.02

-13.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.85 $4.85

-29.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.45 $5.45

-39.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.91 $0.91

27.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.99 $2.99

-36.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.42 $4.42

-65.84%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.40 $3.40

18.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.45 $9.45

36.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$12.48 $12.48

-37.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$15.44 $15.44

15.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.12 $5.12

-55.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.38 $2.38

-27.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.34 $3.34

-44.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.09 $2.09

23.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.99 $2.99

-39.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.65 $2.65

-25.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.77 $1.77

-16.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.05 $2.05

-64.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$9.72 $9.72

-32.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$16.28 $16.28

-65.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.09 $2.09

-34.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.25 $2.25

-4.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.02 $1.02

128.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$60.1 $60.1

-25.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.28 $4.28

-10.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.76 $0.76

40.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.83 $0.83

165.06%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$28.6K $28.6K

19.39%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$24.3K $24.3K

59.28%

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

$161 €144

$162 $162

-0.37%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$38.02 $38.02

-51.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$67.6 $67.6

-51.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$49.11 $49.11

-9.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.98 $11.98

-19.87%

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

$668 €598

$765 $765

-12.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$77.3 $77.3

31.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$44.32 $44.32

0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$76.3 $76.3

29.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$94.7 $94.7

30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$825 $825

95.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$751 $751

58.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,402 $1,402

100.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,244 $1,244

61.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,889 $1,889

315.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,620 $1,620

182.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,638 $3,638

-56.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.48

-40.59%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for McAllen, TX: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

McAllen, TX

$751 38.8% 36.9% $439

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

McAllen, TX

$364 18.8% 33.8% $92

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

McAllen, TX

$277 14.3% 14% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

McAllen, TX

$267 13.8% 25.9% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

McAllen, TX

$132 6.8% 20.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

McAllen, TX

$73 3.8% 14.6% $9.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

McAllen, TX

$72 3.7% 14.3% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $825 in McAllen, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McAllen, TX pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $74 in McAllen, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $364 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 McAllen, TX

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

00:09 12:09 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

142,210

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon McAllen, TX 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 McAllen, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,937 in McAllen, TX, so McAllen, TX is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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 $825 in McAllen, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $765 in McAllen, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though McAllen, TX 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.