Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Union City, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $4,061 in Union City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
197

Cost of Living Index in Union City, CA
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Union City, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Union City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,061

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $4,061 in Union City, CA.

Lisbon $2,206
Union City, CA $4,061

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $6,023 in Union City, CA.

Lisbon $3,276
Union City, CA $6,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $7,984 in Union City, CA.

Lisbon $4,346
Union City, CA $7,984

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 46% less than in Union City, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Union City, CA 200% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$22.36 $22.36

-24.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$98.5 $98.5

-38.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$13.26 $13.26

-17.19%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$5.49 $5.49

-44.44%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$3.05 $3.05

-25.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.35 $2.35

-28.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$8.21 $8.21

-58.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$10.12 $10.12

-61.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.26 $1.26

-8.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.52 $4.52

-58.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$4.15 $4.15

-63.86%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$5.96 $5.96

-30.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$19.69 $19.69

-33.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$13.42 $13.42

-40.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$8.60 $8.60

108.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$5.08 $5.08

-55.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.93 $1.93

-9.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.82 $2.82

-35.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.39 $4.39

-38.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.25 $2.25

-21.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$3.03 $3.03

-35.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.41 $2.41

-39.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.48 $2.48

-69.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$12.01 $12.01

-44.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$15.71 $15.71

-64.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.43 $2.43

-46.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$3.37 $3.37

-36.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$3.48 $3.48

14.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.90 $1.90

-66.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$30.29 $30.29

-37.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.52 $1.52

50.00%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$27.4K $27.4K

21.70%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$26.9K $26.9K

43.36%

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

$158 €141

$274 $274

-42.19%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$48.70 $48.70

-63.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$81.0 $81.0

-61.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$42.57 $42.57

4.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$16.14 $16.14

-40.64%

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

$674 €599

$1,799 $1,799

-62.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$42.3K $42.3K

-55.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$40.31 $40.31

153.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$50.7 $50.7

-9.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$86.9 $86.9

17.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$119 $119

2.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$3,558 $3,558

-53.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$2,646 $2,646

-55.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$4,921 $4,921

-42.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$4,867 $4,867

-58.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

$7,265 $7,265

-76.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.82

-43.99%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Union City, CA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Union City, CA

$2.6K 65.2% 123% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Union City, CA

$423 10.4% 54.1% $149

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Union City, CA

$368 9.1% 49.8% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Union City, CA

$403 9.9% 94.9% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Union City, CA

$134 3.3% 20.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Union City, CA

$75 1.8% 17.3% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Union City, CA

$13 * 0.3% 78.5% $47

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 $1,641 in Lisbon and $3,558 in Union City, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Union City, CA pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $98 in Union City, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $423 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Union City, CA

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

01:00 1:00 AM

8 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

63,930

💱 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 Union City, CA 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Union City, CA

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 Union City, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $4,061 in Union City, CA, so Lisbon is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $3,558 in Union City, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Union City, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $4,061 in Union City, CA – Lisbon is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,206 in Lisbon versus $4,061 in Union City, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Union City, CA. 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 Union City, CA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Union City, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.