Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Wausau, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in Wausau, WI: $1,726 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Wausau, WI
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Wausau, WI Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Wausau, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Wausau, WI

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 Wausau, WI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $1,726 in Wausau, WI.

Lisbon $2,203
Wausau, WI $1,726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $2,735 in Wausau, WI.

Lisbon $3,237
Wausau, WI $2,735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $3,743 in Wausau, WI.

Lisbon $4,272
Wausau, WI $3,743

Living in Lisbon is roughly 28% more expensive than in Wausau, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, Wausau, WI 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.18

$19.87 $19.87

-14.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €55.9

$75.2 $75.2

-16.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.19

$8.71 $8.71

31.11%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.75

$4.85 $4.85

-36.29%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$2.82 $2.82

-15.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.94 $1.94

-14.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.09

$5.62 $5.62

-38.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$5.42 $5.42

-39.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.85 $0.85

37.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.84 $2.84

-34.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$5.26 $5.26

-71.10%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$4.66 $4.66

-16.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.49

$8.62 $8.62

49.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$6.80 $6.80

16.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.73

$13.53 $13.53

30.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.17 $4.17

-45.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.53 $1.53

15.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$4.02 $4.02

-53.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$4.10 $4.10

-39.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.86 $1.86

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.44 $2.44

-15.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.25 $2.25

-38.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.99 $0.99

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$8.60 $8.60

-19.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$8.92 $8.92

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.95 $1.95

-31.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.20 $2.20

-1.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.28

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$2.76 $2.76

44.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.58 $1.58

-32.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.75

$20.77 $20.77

-20.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$0.81 $0.81

179.01%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$36.3K $36.3K

-7.77%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$25.0K $25.0K

62.20%

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

$164 €146

$157 $157

3.98%

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

$18.54 €16.55

$68.3 $68.3

-72.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.63

$71.5 $71.5

-53.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.06

$30.56 $30.56

50.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.78

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.45

$5.93 $5.93

59.70%

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

$690 €615

$1,806 $1,806

-61.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$24.6K $24.6K

-31.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$24.53 $24.53

326.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.40

$40.50 $40.50

11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.3

$65.8 $65.8

50.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$83.5 $83.5

48.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,413

$928 $928

70.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,079

$698 $698

73.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,528

$1,565 $1,565

81.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$1,398 $1,398

40.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,820

$1,662 $1,662

359.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,954

$1,714 $1,714

158.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,403

$3,486 $3,486

-54.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

6.65

-43.01%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Wausau, WI: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Wausau, WI

$698 39.8% 42.3% $512

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Wausau, WI

$307 17.5% 12.9% $35

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Wausau, WI

$301 17.2% 21.8% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Wausau, WI

$297 17% 38% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Wausau, WI

$96 5.5% 42.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Wausau, WI

$42 2.4% 34.7% $23

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Wausau, WI

$11 * 0.6% 83.2% $53

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 $1,583 in Lisbon and $928 in Wausau, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wausau, WI pays 122% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $75.0 in Wausau, WI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $307 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Wausau, WI

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

12:21 12:21 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

38,435

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Wausau, WI 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Wausau, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Wausau, WI differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,203 vs $1,726 including rent). Wausau, WI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 122% lower in Wausau, WI. 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: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $928 in Wausau, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,203 per month in Lisbon versus $1,726 in Wausau, WI – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,726 in Wausau, WI versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wausau, WI but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Wausau, WI 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 Wausau, WI 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 Wausau, WI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.