Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Waterloo, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Waterloo, IA: $1,807 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo, IA
Learn more

Waterloo, IA Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Waterloo, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Waterloo, IA

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 Waterloo, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,807 in Waterloo, IA.

Lisbon $2,210
Waterloo, IA $1,807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,550 in Waterloo, IA.

Lisbon $3,275
Waterloo, IA $2,550

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,294 in Waterloo, IA.

Lisbon $4,341
Waterloo, IA $3,294

Living in Lisbon is roughly 22% more expensive than in Waterloo, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Waterloo, IA 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.11 $16.11

3.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$56.4 $56.4

9.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.91 $8.91

27.50%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.81 $5.81

-48.88%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.67 $2.67

-14.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.95 $1.95

-10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.92 $3.92

-13.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.82 $7.82

-57.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.97 $0.97

19.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.40 $2.40

-20.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.74 $1.74

-13.22%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.61 $3.61

11.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.41 $13.41

-3.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$13.36 $13.36

-41.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$17.38 $17.38

2.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.70 $4.70

-51.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.53 $1.53

13.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.87 $3.87

-51.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.43 $4.43

-41.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.14 $1.14

59.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.21 $2.21

-10.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.97 $1.97

-25.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.57 $1.57

-54.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$8.25 $8.25

-20.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$13.98 $13.98

-59.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.71 $2.71

-49.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.77 $1.77

20.90%

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

$4.04 $4.04

-4.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.03 $2.03

-47.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$44.55 $44.55

-63.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.01 $1.01

117.82%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$31.0K $31.0K

10.33%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.0K $26.0K

48.83%

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

$161 €144

$152 $152

6.19%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$52.8 $52.8

-65.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$60.8 $60.8

-46.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$26.92 $26.92

65.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$15.19 $15.19

-36.80%

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

$668 €598

$1,662 $1,662

-59.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$23.7K $23.7K

-25.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$19.83 $19.83

414.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$15.15 $15.15

193.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$58.9 $58.9

67.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$79.2 $79.2

56.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$850 $850

89.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$749 $749

58.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,359 $1,359

106.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$973 $973

106.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,582 $1,582

395.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,530 $1,530

199.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,801 $3,801

-58.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.69

-42.45%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Waterloo, IA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Waterloo, IA

$749 41.5% 37.1% $441

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Waterloo, IA

$364 20.2% 33.7% $92

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Waterloo, IA

$279 15.4% 15% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Waterloo, IA

$265 14.7% 25% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Waterloo, IA

$78 4.3% 53.1% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Waterloo, IA

$57 3.2% 10.1% $6.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Waterloo, IA

$14 * 0.8% 77.5% $49

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 $850 in Waterloo, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waterloo, IA pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $56 in Waterloo, IA. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $364, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Waterloo, IA

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

23:35 11:35 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

67,314

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Waterloo, IA 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Waterloo, IA

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 Waterloo, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,807 in Waterloo, IA, so Waterloo, IA is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% 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 $850 in Waterloo, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,807 in Waterloo, IA – Waterloo, IA is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Waterloo, IA 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.