Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Montclair, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,899 in Montclair, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Montclair, NJ, United States
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Montclair, NJ
🇺🇸 United States
$2,899
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Montclair, NJ

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 Montclair, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,899 in Montclair, NJ.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Montclair, NJ $2,899

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,264 in Montclair, NJ.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Montclair, NJ $4,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,629 in Montclair, NJ.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Montclair, NJ $5,629

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 24% less than in Montclair, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Montclair, NJ 113% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Montclair, NJ
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$20.04 $20.04
-16.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$80.7 $80.7
-23.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$13.14 $13.14
-13.55%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$6.35 $6.35
-53.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$2.45 $2.45
-6.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.46 $1.46
19.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$8.14 $8.14
-58.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$7.17 $7.17
-53.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Montclair, NJ
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.27 $1.27
-8.66%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$4.48 $4.48
-57.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$6.05 $6.05
-75.04%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$6.13 $6.13
-34.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$13.76 $13.76
-5.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$10.20 $10.20
-23.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$19.41 $19.41
-8.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$6.04 $6.04
-61.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$2.26 $2.26
-23.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$4.22 $4.22
-55.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$5.44 $5.44
-52.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$3.14 $3.14
-42.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$3.00 $3.00
-34.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$2.90 $2.90
-49.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$2.71 $2.71
-73.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$14.55 $14.55
-54.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$15.14 $15.14
-62.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.86 $1.86
-26.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$3.57 $3.57
-40.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Montclair, NJ
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$3.06 $3.06
25.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$2.19 $2.19
-51.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$42.69 $42.69
-61.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.13 $1.13
94.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$27.6K $27.6K
23.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$25.4K $25.4K
52.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Montclair, NJ
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$170 $170
-5.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$51.6 $51.6
-64.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$50.5 $50.5
-35.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Montclair, NJ
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$80.8 $80.8
-44.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$20.23 $20.23
-52.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Montclair, NJ
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$1,998 $1,998
-66.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$16.2K $16.2K
8.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Montclair, NJ
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$70.1 $70.1
45.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$51.0 $51.0
-12.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$101 $101
-1.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$120 $120
2.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Montclair, NJ
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$2,261 $2,261
-28.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$1,540 $1,540
-22.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$3,631 $3,631
-22.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$2,557 $2,557
-21.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Montclair, NJ
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
6.8
-43.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Montclair, NJ: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Montclair, NJ
$1.5K 29.4% $350
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Montclair, NJ
$451 65.5% $178
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Montclair, NJ
$347 42.9% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Montclair, NJ
$273 28.3% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Montclair, NJ
$154 7.3% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Montclair, NJ
$121 90.2% $57
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Montclair, NJ
$14 * 77.9% $49

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,261 in Montclair, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $81 in Montclair, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $451 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇺🇸 Montclair, NJ
🕒 Local time
23:46 11:46 PM
19:46 7:46 PM
4 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
37,669
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Montclair, NJ 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Montclair, NJ

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 Montclair, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Montclair, NJ?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,899 in Montclair, NJ, so Lisbon is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Montclair, NJ?
You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $4,348 in Montclair, NJ 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Montclair, NJ?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $2,261 in Montclair, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Montclair, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Montclair, NJ?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,899 in Montclair, NJ – Lisbon is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Montclair, NJ?
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.
Is Lisbon or Montclair, NJ safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Montclair, NJ are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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