Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Paterson, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,779 in Paterson, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Paterson, NJ
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Paterson, NJ Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Paterson, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,779 in Paterson, NJ.

Lisbon $2,210
Paterson, NJ $2,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,169 in Paterson, NJ.

Lisbon $3,275
Paterson, NJ $4,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,560 in Paterson, NJ.

Lisbon $4,341
Paterson, NJ $5,560

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Paterson, NJ 104% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$18.82 $18.82

-11.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$79.3 $79.3

-22.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$14.25 $14.25

-20.28%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$6.36 $6.36

-53.30%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.90 $2.90

-21.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.03 $3.03

-42.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$7.98 $7.98

-57.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.14 $7.14

-53.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.31 $1.31

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$4.55 $4.55

-58.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$6.00 $6.00

-74.83%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$6.13 $6.13

-34.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$14.17 $14.17

-8.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.14 $10.14

-23.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$19.21 $19.21

-7.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.94 $5.94

-61.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.28 $2.28

-24.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.23 $4.23

-56.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.36 $5.36

-51.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.03 $3.03

-39.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.10 $3.10

-36.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.94 $2.94

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.71 $2.71

-73.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$14.90 $14.90

-55.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$15.20 $15.20

-63.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.77 $1.77

-23.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.51 $3.51

-39.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.02 $3.02

27.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.11 $2.11

-49.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$42.53 $42.53

-61.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.10 $1.10

100.00%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.6K $27.6K

24.06%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.0K $26.0K

49.13%

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

$161 €144

$174 $174

-7.43%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$51.3 $51.3

-64.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$49.24 $49.24

-33.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$20.41 $20.41

-52.96%

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

$668 €598

$2,009 $2,009

-66.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$16.1K $16.1K

9.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$49.90 $49.90

104.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$51.2 $51.2

-13.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$111 $111

-11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$102 $102

21.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$2,500 $2,500

-35.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,510 $1,510

-21.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$3,497 $3,497

-19.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$2,687 $2,687

-25.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,256 $3,256

-51.63%

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 Paterson, NJ: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Paterson, NJ

$1.5K 54.3% 26.9% $320

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Paterson, NJ

$451 16.2% 65.6% $179

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Paterson, NJ

$348 12.5% 43.2% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Paterson, NJ

$275 9.9% 29.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Paterson, NJ

$141 5.1% 14.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Paterson, NJ

$41 * 1.5% 36% $23

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Paterson, NJ

$14 * 0.5% 78.5% $50

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 $2,500 in Paterson, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paterson, NJ 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 $79 in Paterson, 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

🇺🇸 Paterson, NJ

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

147,000

💱 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 Paterson, NJ 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Paterson, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,779 in Paterson, NJ, so Lisbon is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% 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 $2,500 in Paterson, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Paterson, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,779 in Paterson, NJ – 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, Paterson, NJ on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.