Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sacramento, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,000 in Sacramento, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Sacramento, CA
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Sacramento, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sacramento, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,000 in Sacramento, CA.

Lisbon $2,210
Sacramento, CA $3,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,471 in Sacramento, CA.

Lisbon $3,275
Sacramento, CA $4,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,943 in Sacramento, CA.

Lisbon $4,341
Sacramento, CA $5,943

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 26% less than in Sacramento, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sacramento, CA 120% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$21.12 $21.12

-21.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$99.6 $99.6

-38.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$12.26 $12.26

-7.34%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$5.19 $5.19

-42.77%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.91 $2.91

-21.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.94 $2.94

-40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$7.85 $7.85

-56.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.83 $7.83

-57.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.31 $1.31

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$4.16 $4.16

-54.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.59 $4.59

-67.10%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$5.87 $5.87

-31.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$15.16 $15.16

-14.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$15.14 $15.14

-48.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$18.50 $18.50

-4.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.98 $4.98

-53.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.95 $1.95

-11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.41 $4.41

-57.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$5.67 $5.67

-54.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.67 $3.67

-50.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$3.31 $3.31

-40.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.40 $2.40

-38.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.61 $2.61

-72.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$11.83 $11.83

-44.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$14.21 $14.21

-60.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.59 $2.59

-47.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.65 $3.65

-41.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.57 $2.57

-9.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$100.0 $100.0

-55.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.06 $4.06

-5.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.92 $1.92

-44.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$25.35 $25.35

-35.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.62 $1.62

35.80%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$34.5K $34.5K

-0.98%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.7K $26.7K

45.30%

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

$161 €145

$231 $231

-30.16%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$61.0 $61.0

-69.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$69.0 $69.0

-52.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$31.12 $31.12

43.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$40.69 $40.69

-53.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$17.25 $17.25

-44.35%

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

$668 €600

$1,532 $1,532

-56.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$19.0K $19.0K

-7.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$60.5 $60.5

68.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$47.13 $47.13

-5.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$93.1 $93.1

5.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$131 $131

-5.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,986 $1,986

-19.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,491 $1,491

-20.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$3,109 $3,109

-9.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$2,505 $2,505

-19.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$5,486 $5,486

42.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$3,428 $3,428

33.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$4,815 $4,815

-67.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.59

-41.58%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sacramento, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sacramento, CA

$1.5K 49.7% 25.3% $301

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sacramento, CA

$463 15.4% 70% $191

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sacramento, CA

$346 11.5% 42.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sacramento, CA

$361 12% 69.9% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sacramento, CA

$149 5% 10.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sacramento, CA

$66 2.2% 3% $1.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sacramento, CA

$124 4.1% 96.1% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,986 in Sacramento, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sacramento, CA pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $100 in Sacramento, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $463 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Sacramento, CA

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

11:44 11:44 AM

7 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

524,943

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sacramento, CA 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Sacramento, CA

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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 Sacramento, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sacramento, CA differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $3,000 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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 $1,986 in Sacramento, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,532 in Sacramento, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Sacramento, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Sacramento, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.