Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Merced, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,556 in Merced, CA, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in Merced, CA despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Merced, CA
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Merced, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,556 in Merced, CA.

Lisbon $2,210
Merced, CA $2,556

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,713 in Merced, CA.

Lisbon $3,275
Merced, CA $3,713

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,870 in Merced, CA.

Lisbon $4,341
Merced, CA $4,870

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 14% less than in Merced, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Merced, CA 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$17.37 $17.37

-4.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$40.27 $40.27

53.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.91 $11.91

-4.62%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.79 $5.79

-48.70%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.43 $2.43

-5.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.47 $1.47

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$8.95 $8.95

-62.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$10.02 $10.02

-66.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.24 $1.24

-6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$4.35 $4.35

-56.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.04 $4.04

-62.62%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.82 $5.82

-30.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$19.36 $19.36

-33.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$14.35 $14.35

-45.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$21.51 $21.51

-17.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.35 $4.35

-47.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.94 $1.94

-10.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$5.64 $5.64

-67.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.49 $5.49

-52.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.52 $3.52

-48.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.03 $3.03

-34.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.35 $2.35

-37.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.55 $2.55

-71.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$11.81 $11.81

-44.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$15.91 $15.91

-64.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.42 $2.42

-43.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.31 $3.31

-35.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.54 $1.54

51.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$61.1 $61.1

-26.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.03 $3.03

27.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.70 $1.70

-37.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$26.85 $26.85

-38.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.33 $1.33

65.41%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$36.4K $36.4K

-6.20%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$25.9K $25.9K

49.24%

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

$161 €144

$240 $240

-32.75%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$29.53 $29.53

-37.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$84.6 $84.6

-61.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$33.09 $33.09

34.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$13.86 $13.86

37.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$16.14 $16.14

-40.52%

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

$668 €598

$1,870 $1,870

-64.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$39.2K $39.2K

-55.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$60.7 $60.7

67.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$52.1 $52.1

-14.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$102 $102

-3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$121 $121

1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,641 $1,641

-2.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,102 $1,102

8.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,970 $1,970

42.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,889 $1,889

6.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,939 $2,939

166.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,932 $2,932

56.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,357 $3,357

-53.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.36

-39.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Merced, CA: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Merced, CA

$1.1K 43.1% 7.4% $89

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Merced, CA

$480 18.8% 76.4% $208

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Merced, CA

$325 12.7% 33.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Merced, CA

$354 13.9% 66.6% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Merced, CA

$151 5.9% 8.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Merced, CA

$65 2.6% 2.5% $1.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Merced, CA

$79 3.1% 24.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,641 in Merced, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Merced, CA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $40 in Merced, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $480, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

18:22 6:22 PM

8 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

83,316

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Merced, CA 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Merced, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,556 in Merced, CA, so Lisbon is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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 $1,641 in Merced, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,870 in Merced, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Merced, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Merced, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.