Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Traverse City, MI

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,666 in Traverse City, MI, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Traverse City, MI
Learn more

Traverse City, MI Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Traverse City, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Traverse City, MI

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 Traverse City, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,666 in Traverse City, MI.

Lisbon $2,202
Traverse City, MI $2,666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,947 in Traverse City, MI.

Lisbon $3,274
Traverse City, MI $3,947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $5,228 in Traverse City, MI.

Lisbon $4,346
Traverse City, MI $5,228

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 17% less than in Traverse City, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Traverse City, MI 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$21.49 $21.49

-20.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$77.4 $77.4

-19.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.34 $11.34

-2.82%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.78 $4.78

-34.73%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.48 $2.48

-8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.08 $2.08

-16.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.90 $4.90

-30.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.53 $6.53

-42.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.73 $0.73

60.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.07 $3.07

-39.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.36 $4.36

-64.68%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.67 $2.67

52.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$19.14 $19.14

-32.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$12.34 $12.34

-35.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$22.33 $22.33

-21.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$6.84 $6.84

-66.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.44 $1.44

21.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.84 $3.84

-50.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$6.69 $6.69

-61.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.70 $2.70

-31.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.15 $3.15

-37.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.36 $2.36

-38.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.64 $2.64

-70.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.96 $5.96

12.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$15.02 $15.02

-62.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.00 $2.00

-31.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$7.01 $7.01

-69.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$6.02 $6.02

-61.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$30.60 $30.60

45.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.02 $1.02

114.71%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$35.0K $35.0K

-3.49%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$26.0K $26.0K

47.16%

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

$164 €146

$116 $116

41.17%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$37.85 $37.85

-51.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$68.8 $68.8

-52.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$62.7 $62.7

-26.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.81 $9.81

-0.61%

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

$684 €608

$1,017 $1,017

-32.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$11.3K $11.3K

56.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$58.2 $58.2

78.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$40.93 $40.93

12.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$101 $101

-0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$87.4 $87.4

42.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,958 $1,958

-18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,404 $1,404

-16.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$3,796 $3,796

-24.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,317 $2,317

-13.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,395 $3,395

129.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,324 $3,324

32.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,796 $2,796

-42.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.32

-39.08%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Traverse City, MI: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Traverse City, MI

$1.4K 52.7% 20.1% $235

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Traverse City, MI

$453 17% 66.1% $180

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Traverse City, MI

$319 12% 29% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Traverse City, MI

$223 8.4% 3.5% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Traverse City, MI

$129 4.9% 23.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Traverse City, MI

$82 3.1% 25.9% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Traverse City, MI

$55 * 2.1% 13.1% $8.3

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,958 in Traverse City, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Traverse City, MI pays 75% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $77.0 in Traverse City, MI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $453 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Traverse City, MI

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

11:40 11:40 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

15,678

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Traverse City, MI 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Traverse City, MI

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 Traverse City, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Traverse City, MI differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,666 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Traverse City, MI. 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 $1,958 in Traverse City, MI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $1,017 in Traverse City, MI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,666 in Traverse City, MI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Traverse City, MI. 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 Traverse City, MI 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Traverse City, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.