Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Monrovia, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia, CA
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Monrovia, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monrovia, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,704 in Monrovia, CA.

Lisbon $2,202
Monrovia, CA $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $4,049 in Monrovia, CA.

Lisbon $3,274
Monrovia, CA $4,049

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $5,394 in Monrovia, CA.

Lisbon $4,346
Monrovia, CA $5,394

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 19% less than in Monrovia, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Monrovia, CA 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$24.92 $24.92

-31.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$101 $101

-38.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.66 $11.66

-5.49%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.61 $5.61

-44.39%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.68 $2.68

-15.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.97 $1.97

-11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$8.23 $8.23

-58.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$9.63 $9.63

-61.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.18 $1.18

-0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$5.85 $5.85

-68.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.23 $4.23

-63.59%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.94 $4.94

-17.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$12.40 $12.40

4.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$20.92 $20.92

-62.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.06 $14.06

25.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$5.62 $5.62

-59.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.70 $1.70

2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.29 $4.29

-55.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$6.35 $6.35

-59.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.63 $3.63

-49.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.50 $3.50

-43.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.40 $2.40

-39.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.27 $2.27

-66.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$11.63 $11.63

-42.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$14.76 $14.76

-61.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.75 $1.75

-21.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.10 $3.10

-31.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.95 $1.95

18.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.61 $4.61

-14.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.81 $1.81

-41.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$35.58 $35.58

-51.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.60 $1.60

36.87%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$27.7K $27.7K

21.86%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$26.6K $26.6K

44.04%

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

$164 €146

$218 $218

-24.89%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$72.4 $72.4

-74.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$71.3 $71.3

-53.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$39.11 $39.11

17.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$11.79 $11.79

-17.30%

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

$684 €608

$1,948 $1,948

-64.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$42.6K $42.6K

-58.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$73.1 $73.1

41.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$40.92 $40.92

12.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$80.5 $80.5

23.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$171 $171

-27.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,577 $1,577

0.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,235 $1,235

-5.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,490 $2,490

14.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,041 $2,041

-2.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,557 $2,557

204.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,351 $2,351

87.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.64

-42.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monrovia, CA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Monrovia, CA

$1.2K 45.7% 5.7% $66

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Monrovia, CA

$477 17.7% 74.8% $204

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Monrovia, CA

$381 14.1% 53.8% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Monrovia, CA

$362 13.4% 68.1% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Monrovia, CA

$165 6.1% 2.3% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Monrovia, CA

$63 2.3% 4.1% $2.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Monrovia, CA

$21 * 0.8% 65.9% $41

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,577 in Monrovia, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $101 in Monrovia, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $477 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Monrovia, CA

🕒 Local time

22:52 10:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

8 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

36,590

💱 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 Monrovia, CA 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Lisbon and Monrovia, CA differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,704 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $4,056 in Monrovia, CA 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,577 in Monrovia, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Monrovia, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $2,704 in Monrovia, CA – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Monrovia, 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 Monrovia, 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 23% less than in Monrovia, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.