Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Medford, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $3,043 in Medford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Medford, MA
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Medford, MA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Medford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,043

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Medford, MA

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 Medford, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,043 in Medford, MA.

Lisbon $2,206
Medford, MA $3,043

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $4,134 in Medford, MA.

Lisbon $3,276
Medford, MA $4,134

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $5,225 in Medford, MA.

Lisbon $4,346
Medford, MA $5,225

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 28% less than in Medford, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Medford, MA 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$17.41 $17.41

-3.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$92.9 $92.9

-34.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$12.15 $12.15

-9.63%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$5.35 $5.35

-42.99%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.87 $2.87

-20.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.52 $2.52

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$8.04 $8.04

-57.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$7.78 $7.78

-49.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.08 $1.08

6.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.81 $3.81

-50.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$5.51 $5.51

-72.78%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$4.66 $4.66

-11.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$11.13 $11.13

16.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$13.98 $13.98

-42.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$17.86 $17.86

0.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$6.84 $6.84

-66.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.81 $1.81

-3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$5.51 $5.51

-66.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$5.66 $5.66

-52.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$4.42 $4.42

-59.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$4.03 $4.03

-51.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.27 $2.27

-35.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.02 $1.02

-25.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$13.36 $13.36

-50.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$13.78 $13.78

-59.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.15 $2.15

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$3.97 $3.97

-46.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.47 $2.47

-6.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$59.0 $59.0

-25.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$2.61 $2.61

52.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.73 $1.73

-63.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$27.77 $27.77

-31.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.08 $1.08

111.11%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$27.1K $27.1K

23.28%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$26.7K $26.7K

44.44%

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

$158 €141

$236 $236

-32.98%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$55.8 $55.8

-68.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$81.7 $81.7

-61.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$42.97 $42.97

3.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$14.12 $14.12

-32.15%

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

$674 €599

$1,849 $1,849

-63.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$44.9K $44.9K

-58.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$56.0 $56.0

82.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$37.57 $37.57

22.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$80.8 $80.8

26.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$101 $101

20.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$1,554 $1,554

5.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$1,647 $1,647

-27.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$2,594 $2,594

8.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$2,116 $2,116

-4.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$2,788 $2,788

181.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$2,298 $2,298

104.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.64

-42.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medford, MA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Medford, MA

$1.6K 54.1% 38.7% $459

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Medford, MA

$431 14.2% 56.9% $156

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Medford, MA

$317 10.4% 29.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Medford, MA

$373 12.3% 80.5% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Medford, MA

$124 4.1% 26.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Medford, MA

$71 2.3% 11.6% $7.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Medford, MA

$80 2.6% 32.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,554 in Medford, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $93 in Medford, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $431 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Medford, MA

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

04:48 4:48 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

56,173

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Medford, MA 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Medford, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $3,043 in Medford, MA, so Lisbon is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $4,565 in Medford, MA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,554 in Medford, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $1,849 in Medford, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Medford, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,043 in Medford, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Medford, MA. 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 Medford, MA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.