Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Stafford, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,568 in Stafford, VA, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Stafford, VA
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Stafford, VA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Stafford, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Stafford, VA

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 Stafford, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,568 in Stafford, VA.

Lisbon $2,210
Stafford, VA $2,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,011 in Stafford, VA.

Lisbon $3,275
Stafford, VA $4,011

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,454 in Stafford, VA.

Lisbon $4,341
Stafford, VA $5,454

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 14% less than in Stafford, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Stafford, VA 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.30 $16.30

2.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$107 $107

-42.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.98 $11.98

-5.18%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.38 $5.38

-44.80%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.13 $3.13

-26.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.62 $2.62

-33.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.81 $6.81

-50.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$9.88 $9.88

-66.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.35 $1.35

-14.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.07 $3.07

-37.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$7.19 $7.19

-79.00%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.06 $5.06

-20.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$17.22 $17.22

-24.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$11.11 $11.11

-30.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$18.41 $18.41

-3.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$7.04 $7.04

-67.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.29 $2.29

-24.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$5.11 $5.11

-63.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.94 $5.94

-56.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.80 $2.80

-35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.72 $3.72

-47.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.65 $2.65

-44.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.77 $2.77

-74.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$14.05 $14.05

-53.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$16.11 $16.11

-65.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.33 $3.33

-59.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$5.64 $5.64

-62.06%

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

$4.05 $4.05

-4.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.62 $1.62

-33.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$25.50 $25.50

-35.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.07 $1.07

105.61%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$34.5K $34.5K

-0.90%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$25.8K $25.8K

50.32%

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

$161 €144

$137 $137

17.37%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$81.7 $81.7

-77.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$79.3 $79.3

-58.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$17.85 $17.85

-46.22%

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

$668 €598

$2,906 $2,906

-77.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$40.8K $40.8K

-56.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$72.2 $72.2

41.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$44.78 $44.78

-0.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$106 $106

-6.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$126 $126

-1.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,767 $1,767

-8.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,283 $1,283

-7.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,630 $2,630

6.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$2,406 $2,406

-16.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$3,271 $3,271

39.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$7,504 $7,504

-79.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-35.83%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Stafford, VA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Stafford, VA

$1.3K 50% 7.8% $93

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Stafford, VA

$475 18.5% 74.2% $202

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Stafford, VA

$308 12% 26.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Stafford, VA

$298 11.6% 40.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Stafford, VA

$157 6.1% 5.5% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Stafford, VA

$36 * 1.4% 44% $28

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Stafford, VA

$12 * 0.5% 80.8% $51

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 $1,767 in Stafford, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stafford, VA pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $107 in Stafford, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $475 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Stafford, VA

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

22:13 10:13 PM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

17,693

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Stafford, VA 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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Stafford, VA

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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 Stafford, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,568 in Stafford, VA, so Lisbon is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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 $1,767 in Stafford, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Stafford, VA. 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 $2,568 in Stafford, VA – Lisbon is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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