Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and New Orleans, LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,203 a month against $2,732 in New Orleans, LA, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in New Orleans, LA
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New Orleans, LA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

New Orleans, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in New Orleans, LA

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 Orleans, LA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $2,732 in New Orleans, LA.

Lisbon $2,203
New Orleans, LA $2,732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $4,119 in New Orleans, LA.

Lisbon $3,237
New Orleans, LA $4,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $5,506 in New Orleans, LA.

Lisbon $4,272
New Orleans, LA $5,506

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, New Orleans, LA 104% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.18

$26.24 $26.24

-35.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €56.0

$128 $128

-51.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.19

$12.03 $12.03

-5.07%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.76

$5.57 $5.57

-44.52%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$2.98 $2.98

-20.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.14 $2.14

-22.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.09

$5.97 $5.97

-42.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$7.91 $7.91

-58.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.39 $1.39

-15.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$4.11 $4.11

-54.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$5.99 $5.99

-74.62%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$5.48 $5.48

-29.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.49

$15.49 $15.49

-16.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$10.10 $10.10

-21.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.73

$15.79 $15.79

11.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$5.23 $5.23

-56.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.66 $1.66

6.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$5.42 $5.42

-65.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$5.72 $5.72

-56.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.28 $4.28

-56.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.29 $3.29

-37.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.19 $2.19

-36.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$2.58 $2.58

-68.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$8.87 $8.87

-22.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$16.60 $16.60

-66.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.45 $2.45

-45.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.94 $3.94

-44.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.27 $1.27

76.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.29

$49.68 $49.68

-9.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$3.48 $3.48

14.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.52 $1.52

-29.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.75

$34.44 $34.44

-52.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$0.93 $0.93

143.01%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$36.2K $36.2K

-7.45%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$25.6K $25.6K

57.89%

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

$164 €146

$262 $262

-37.64%

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

$18.54 €16.55

$70.5 $70.5

-73.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.64

$74.3 $74.3

-55.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.06

$50.3 $50.3

-8.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.78

$43.64 $43.64

-56.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.45

$12.69 $12.69

-25.37%

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

$690 €615

$1,576 $1,576

-56.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$10.2K $10.2K

65.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$56.6 $56.6

84.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.40

$43.27 $43.27

4.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.3

$86.4 $86.4

14.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$120 $120

3.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,413

$1,827 $1,827

-13.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,079

$1,206 $1,206

0.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,528

$3,113 $3,113

-8.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$2,030 $2,030

-3.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,821

$5,207 $5,207

46.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,954

$1,378 $1,378

221.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,403

$4,101 $4,101

-61.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

6.66

-43.09%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for New Orleans, LA: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

New Orleans, LA

$1.2K 44.4% 0.3% $3.4

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

New Orleans, LA

$444 16.4% 63.3% $172

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

New Orleans, LA

$379 14% 53.2% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

New Orleans, LA

$407 15% 89.1% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

New Orleans, LA

$138 5.1% 17.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

New Orleans, LA

$76 2.8% 16.5% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

New Orleans, LA

$66 2.4% 3.8% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Lisbon and $1,827 in New Orleans, LA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Orleans, LA pays 161% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $128 in New Orleans, LA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $444 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 New Orleans, LA

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

07:15 7:15 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

391,006

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon New Orleans, LA 7,250 km ≈ 10 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 Orleans, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and New Orleans, LA differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,203 vs $2,732 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 161% lower in New Orleans, LA. 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: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $1,827 in New Orleans, LA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $690 in Lisbon versus $1,576 in New Orleans, LA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in New Orleans, LA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,203 in Lisbon versus $2,732 in New Orleans, LA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in New Orleans, LA. 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 New Orleans, LA 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 24% less than in New Orleans, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.