Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and New Bedford, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,774 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
132

Cost of Living Index in New Bedford, MA
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New Bedford, MA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

New Bedford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,774 in New Bedford, MA.

Lisbon $2,206
New Bedford, MA $2,774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $3,848 in New Bedford, MA.

Lisbon $3,276
New Bedford, MA $3,848

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,921 in New Bedford, MA.

Lisbon $4,346
New Bedford, MA $4,921

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 20% less than in New Bedford, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, New Bedford, MA 105% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$19.61 $19.61

-14.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$60.5 $60.5

0.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$5.83 $5.83

88.34%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$3.89 $3.89

-21.59%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.26 $2.26

0.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.29 $1.29

30.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$5.97 $5.97

-42.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$3.91 $3.91

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.05 $1.05

9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.48 $4.48

-57.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$16.29 $16.29

-90.79%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$6.47 $6.47

-36.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$10.42 $10.42

24.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$10.47 $10.47

-23.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$19.43 $19.43

-7.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$5.44 $5.44

-58.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$4.31 $4.31

-59.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$3.33 $3.33

-45.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.15 $3.15

-14.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.24 $2.24

-20.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.39 $2.39

-18.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.63 $2.63

-44.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.82 $2.82

-73.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$12.74 $12.74

-47.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$17.07 $17.07

-66.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.81 $1.81

-28.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.75 $2.75

-22.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$3.71 $3.71

7.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$2.19 $2.19

-70.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$48.09 $48.09

-60.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$1.08 $1.08

111.11%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$27.3K $27.3K

22.14%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$26.3K $26.3K

46.48%

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

$158 €141

$196 $196

-19.18%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$37.66 $37.66

-53.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$61.1 $61.1

-48.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$29.22 $29.22

52.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$12.30 $12.30

-22.11%

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

$674 €598

$2,163 $2,163

-68.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$34.0K $34.0K

-44.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$37.99 $37.99

168.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$16.41 $16.41

179.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$98.8 $98.8

3.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$1,798 $1,798

-8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$1,594 $1,594

-25.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$2,647 $2,647

6.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$2,369 $2,369

-14.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$4,565 $4,565

-63.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

5.42

-29.52%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for New Bedford, MA: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

New Bedford, MA

$1.6K 57.5% 34.2% $407

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

New Bedford, MA

$475 17.1% 73.1% $201

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

New Bedford, MA

$273 9.8% 11.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

New Bedford, MA

$294 10.6% 42.3% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

New Bedford, MA

$69 * 2.5% 58.9% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

New Bedford, MA

$54 1.9% 15.6% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

New Bedford, MA

$15 * 0.5% 75.8% $46

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 $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,798 in New Bedford, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Bedford, MA pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $60 in New Bedford, MA. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $475, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

04:48 4:48 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

92,538

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon New Bedford, MA 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 New Bedford, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,774 in New Bedford, MA, so Lisbon is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,798 in New Bedford, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $2,163 in New Bedford, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $2,774 in New Bedford, MA – Lisbon is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, New Bedford, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.