Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Somerset, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,962 in Somerset, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 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
190

Cost of Living Index in Somerset, NJ
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Somerset, NJ Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Somerset, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,962

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,962 in Somerset, NJ.

Lisbon $2,210
Somerset, NJ $3,962

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,428 in Somerset, NJ.

Lisbon $3,275
Somerset, NJ $4,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,895 in Somerset, NJ.

Lisbon $4,341
Somerset, NJ $4,895

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 44% less than in Somerset, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Somerset, NJ 191% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$17.73 $17.73

-6.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$39.35 $39.35

56.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$7.91 $7.91

43.62%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.03 $5.03

-40.95%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.96 $1.96

16.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.54 $1.54

12.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$8.18 $8.18

-58.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.96 $6.96

-52.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.26 $1.26

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$4.47 $4.47

-57.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$5.95 $5.95

-74.62%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.05 $2.05

96.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.03 $13.03

-0.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.40 $10.40

-25.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$20.19 $20.19

-12.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.94 $5.94

-61.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$3.48 $3.48

-50.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.22 $4.22

-55.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.43 $5.43

-52.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.12 $3.12

-41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.06 $3.06

-35.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.45 $2.45

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$3.05 $3.05

-76.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$15.01 $15.01

-56.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$14.77 $14.77

-62.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.85 $1.85

-26.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.47 $3.47

-38.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.06 $2.06

13.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$67.2 $67.2

-33.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.92 $2.92

31.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.21 $2.21

-51.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$41.53 $41.53

-60.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.09 $1.09

101.83%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.9K $27.9K

22.38%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.3K $26.3K

47.05%

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

$161 €144

$169 $169

-4.85%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$51.7 $51.7

-64.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$50.5 $50.5

-35.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$40.94 $40.94

8.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$20.65 $20.65

-53.51%

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

$668 €598

$2,040 $2,040

-67.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$15.7K $15.7K

12.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$49.81 $49.81

104.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$40.80 $40.80

8.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$85.8 $85.8

14.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$104 $104

18.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,581 $1,581

1.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$2,655 $2,655

-55.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,533 $2,533

11.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$2,142 $2,142

-6.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,682 $2,682

192.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,400 $2,400

90.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

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 Somerset, NJ: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Somerset, NJ

$2.7K 67% 123% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Somerset, NJ

$443 11.2% 62.7% $171

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Somerset, NJ

$295 7.4% 21.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Somerset, NJ

$272 6.9% 27.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Somerset, NJ

$126 3.2% 23.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Somerset, NJ

$82 2.1% 29% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Somerset, NJ

$89 2.3% 41.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,581 in Somerset, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $39 in Somerset, NJ. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $443, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Somerset, NJ

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

11,924

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Somerset, NJ 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Somerset, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $3,962 in Somerset, NJ, so Lisbon is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $5,943 in Somerset, 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,581 in Somerset, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,040 in Somerset, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,962 in Somerset, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Somerset, NJ. 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 Somerset, NJ are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.