Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Melbourne, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,395 in Melbourne, AR, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne, AR
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Melbourne, AR Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Melbourne, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Melbourne, AR

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 Melbourne, AR actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,395 in Melbourne, AR.

Lisbon $2,223
Melbourne, AR $2,395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,533 in Melbourne, AR.

Lisbon $3,271
Melbourne, AR $3,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,672 in Melbourne, AR.

Lisbon $4,319
Melbourne, AR $4,672

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 7% less than in Melbourne, AR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Melbourne, AR 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$6.80 $6.80

142.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$77.6 $77.6

-21.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$9.33 $9.33

20.79%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.78 $5.78

-47.06%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.96 $1.96

15.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.68 $1.68

2.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.92 $5.92

-42.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.96 $6.96

-51.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.88 $0.88

27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.80 $3.80

-51.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$5.82 $5.82

-73.71%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$5.33 $5.33

-25.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$8.15 $8.15

56.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$8.37 $8.37

-5.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$13.40 $13.40

26.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.48 $4.48

-49.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.48 $1.48

18.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.83 $2.83

-34.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.80 $4.80

-46.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.92 $1.92

-3.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.46 $2.46

-17.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.46 $1.46

-1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$2.03 $2.03

-59.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$8.86 $8.86

-25.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$18.94 $18.94

-70.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.61 $2.61

-50.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$4.51 $4.51

-54.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.09 $2.09

12.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.96 $2.96

34.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.65 $1.65

-33.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$32.45 $32.45

-48.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.98 $0.98

132.65%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$36.6K $36.6K

-8.10%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$26.5K $26.5K

48.49%

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

$167 €149

$176 $176

-5.02%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$55.8 $55.8

-66.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$63.4 $63.4

-47.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$41.88 $41.88

9.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$9.91 $9.91

-0.71%

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

$677 €602

$1,075 $1,075

-37.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$21.1K $21.1K

-19.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$59.3 $59.3

70.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$50.6 $50.6

-9.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$114 $114

-12.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$113 $113

8.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,598 $1,598

1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,291 $1,291

-7.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,289 $2,289

25.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,205 $2,205

-9.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,938 $2,938

157.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,284 $2,284

88.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.77

-43.13%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne, AR: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Melbourne, AR

$1.3K 53.9% 7.9% $94

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Melbourne, AR

$365 15.3% 35.6% $96

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Melbourne, AR

$210 8.8% 13.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Melbourne, AR

$296 12.3% 34.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Melbourne, AR

$152 6.3% 8.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Melbourne, AR

$62 2.6% 6.1% $4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Melbourne, AR

$20 * 0.8% 69% $43

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 $1,598 in Melbourne, AR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $78.0 in Melbourne, AR for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $365 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Melbourne, AR

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

04:05 4:05 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

76,068

💱 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 Melbourne, AR 7,050 km ≈ 9 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 Melbourne, AR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Melbourne, AR differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,395 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $3,592 in Melbourne, AR 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,598 in Melbourne, AR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Melbourne, AR. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $2,395 in Melbourne, AR – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,395 in Melbourne, AR, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Melbourne, AR. 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 Melbourne, AR 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 8% less than in Melbourne, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.