Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Topeka, KS

For one person, living is cheaper in Topeka, KS: $1,901 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Topeka, KS
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Topeka, KS Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Topeka, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Topeka, KS

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 Topeka, KS actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,901 in Topeka, KS.

Lisbon $2,202
Topeka, KS $1,901

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,863 in Topeka, KS.

Lisbon $3,274
Topeka, KS $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,825 in Topeka, KS.

Lisbon $4,346
Topeka, KS $3,825

Living in Lisbon is roughly 16% more expensive than in Topeka, KS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Topeka, KS 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$13.27 $13.27

28.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$51.2 $51.2

21.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.03 $10.03

9.87%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.40 $3.40

-8.24%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.35 $2.35

-3.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.80 $1.80

-3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.46 $4.46

-23.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$8.81 $8.81

-57.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.86 $0.86

36.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.70 $2.70

-31.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.94 $2.94

-47.62%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.09 $4.09

-0.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.93 $8.93

44.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.26 $8.26

-4.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$15.10 $15.10

16.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.90 $4.90

-53.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.59 $1.59

10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$5.13 $5.13

-63.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.13 $4.13

-38.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.48 $3.48

-46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.61 $2.61

-24.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.85 $1.85

-21.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.80 $0.80

-3.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$9.17 $9.17

-26.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$12.05 $12.05

-52.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.85 $1.85

-25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.65 $1.65

27.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.91 $3.91

-40.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$49.53 $49.53

-10.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.70 $2.70

46.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.52 $1.52

-30.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$33.60 $33.60

-48.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.88 $0.88

148.86%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$26.3K $26.3K

28.23%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$26.3K $26.3K

45.39%

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

$164 €146

$145 $145

12.62%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$47.02 $47.02

-60.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$65.0 $65.0

-49.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$44.11 $44.11

3.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$15.09 $15.09

23.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$13.38 $13.38

-27.13%

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

$684 €608

$434 $434

57.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$38.71 $38.71

167.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$28.08 $28.08

64.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$89.7 $89.7

11.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$80.4 $80.4

55.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$792 $792

100.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$835 $835

39.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,283 $1,283

122.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,496 $1,496

33.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,443 $1,443

439.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,334 $1,334

231.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,708 $3,708

-56.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.24

-38.30%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Topeka, KS: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Topeka, KS

$835 43.9% 28.6% $334

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Topeka, KS

$322 16.9% 17.8% $49

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Topeka, KS

$234 12.3% 5.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Topeka, KS

$257 13.5% 19.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Topeka, KS

$107 5.6% 36.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Topeka, KS

$71 3.7% 8.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Topeka, KS

$75 4% 19.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $792 in Topeka, KS. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Topeka, KS pays 132% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $51.0 in Topeka, KS. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $322, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Topeka, KS

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

08:38 8:38 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

124,331

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Topeka, KS 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Topeka, KS

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 Topeka, KS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Topeka, KS differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,901 including rent). Topeka, KS is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 132% lower in Topeka, KS. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $792 in Topeka, KS. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $434 in Topeka, KS. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,901 in Topeka, KS versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Topeka, KS but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Topeka, KS 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 Topeka, KS 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 Topeka, KS gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.