Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Virginia Beach, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,871 in Virginia Beach, VA, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Virginia Beach, VA
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Virginia Beach, VA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Virginia Beach, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,871 in Virginia Beach, VA.

Lisbon $2,210
Virginia Beach, VA $2,871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,064 in Virginia Beach, VA.

Lisbon $3,275
Virginia Beach, VA $4,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,257 in Virginia Beach, VA.

Lisbon $4,341
Virginia Beach, VA $5,257

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 23% less than in Virginia Beach, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Virginia Beach, VA 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$18.35 $18.35

-9.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$90.9 $90.9

-32.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$12.22 $12.22

-7.04%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$6.00 $6.00

-50.50%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.81 $2.81

-18.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.16 $2.16

-19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.02 $6.02

-43.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.19 $7.19

-53.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.04 $1.04

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.08 $3.08

-37.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$5.47 $5.47

-72.39%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.74 $4.74

-15.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$10.49 $10.49

23.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$9.62 $9.62

-19.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$18.16 $18.16

-2.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.52 $2.52

-8.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.61 $1.61

7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$5.13 $5.13

-63.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$5.77 $5.77

-55.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.28 $2.28

-20.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$4.51 $4.51

-56.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.78 $1.78

-17.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.37 $2.37

-69.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$9.57 $9.57

-31.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$12.18 $12.18

-53.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.75 $1.75

-22.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.20 $2.20

-2.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.03 $2.03

14.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$70.8 $70.8

-36.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.56 $4.56

-15.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.32 $1.32

-18.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$19.82 $19.82

-16.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.02 $1.02

115.69%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$27.1K $27.1K

25.95%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$25.8K $25.8K

50.17%

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

$161 €145

$208 $208

-22.34%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$59.8 $59.8

-69.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$66.9 $66.9

-51.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$25.57 $25.57

74.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$35.66 $35.66

-46.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$9.49 $9.49

1.16%

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

$668 €600

$1,620 $1,620

-58.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$16.1K $16.1K

9.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$61.8 $61.8

65.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$47.94 $47.94

-7.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$117 $117

-16.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$114 $114

8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,966 $1,966

-18.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,553 $1,553

-23.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$2,867 $2,867

-1.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$2,246 $2,246

-10.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,706 $2,706

189.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,334 $2,334

96.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$4,353 $4,353

-63.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.57

-41.40%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Virginia Beach, VA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Virginia Beach, VA

$1.6K 54.1% 30.5% $363

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Virginia Beach, VA

$377 13.1% 38.3% $104

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Virginia Beach, VA

$320 11.1% 31.8% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Virginia Beach, VA

$334 11.6% 57.4% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Virginia Beach, VA

$153 5.3% 7.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Virginia Beach, VA

$45 1.6% 30.1% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Virginia Beach, VA

$90 3.1% 42.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,966 in Virginia Beach, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Virginia Beach, VA pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $91 in Virginia Beach, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $377 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Virginia Beach, VA

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

459,470

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Virginia Beach, VA 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Virginia Beach, 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 Virginia Beach, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,871 in Virginia Beach, VA, so Lisbon is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% 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 $1,966 in Virginia Beach, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,620 in Virginia Beach, VA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Virginia Beach, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Virginia Beach, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.