Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Worcester, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,799 in Worcester, MA, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
134

Cost of Living Index in Worcester, MA
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Worcester, MA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Worcester, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Worcester, MA

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 Worcester, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,799 in Worcester, MA.

Lisbon $2,210
Worcester, MA $2,799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,928 in Worcester, MA.

Lisbon $3,275
Worcester, MA $3,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,057 in Worcester, MA.

Lisbon $4,341
Worcester, MA $5,057

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 21% less than in Worcester, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Worcester, MA 106% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$22.27 $22.27

-25.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$72.5 $72.5

-14.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.79 $11.79

-3.65%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.91 $4.91

-39.51%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.39 $2.39

-4.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.66 $1.66

4.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.90 $5.90

-42.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.11 $7.11

-53.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.19 $1.19

-2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.70 $3.70

-48.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$5.06 $5.06

-70.16%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.76 $3.76

6.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$18.71 $18.71

-30.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.86 $10.86

-28.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$20.47 $20.47

-13.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.64 $3.64

-36.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.40 $1.40

23.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.45 $3.45

-46.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.91 $4.91

-47.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.98 $2.98

-38.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.28 $3.28

-39.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.77 $1.77

-16.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.51 $1.51

-52.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$13.03 $13.03

-49.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$12.12 $12.12

-53.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.69 $1.69

-19.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.34 $3.34

-35.93%

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

$5.07 $5.07

-24.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.35 $2.35

-54.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$35.64 $35.64

-53.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.06 $1.06

107.55%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.3K $27.3K

25.12%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.4K $26.4K

46.44%

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

$161 €144

$190 $190

-15.23%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$55.4 $55.4

-66.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$60.9 $60.9

-46.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$33.64 $33.64

32.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$29.86 $29.86

-36.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$16.61 $16.61

-42.20%

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

$668 €598

$1,694 $1,694

-60.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$44.1K $44.1K

-60.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$47.11 $47.11

116.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$35.58 $35.58

24.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$92.1 $92.1

6.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$144 $144

-13.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$2,026 $2,026

-20.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,532 $1,532

-22.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,951 $2,951

-4.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$2,210 $2,210

-8.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,114 $3,114

151.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,730 $2,730

67.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$4,225 $4,225

-62.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.33

-39.18%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Worcester, MA: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Worcester, MA

$1.5K 54.7% 28.8% $342

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Worcester, MA

$401 14.3% 47.2% $129

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Worcester, MA

$332 11.9% 37% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Worcester, MA

$306 11% 44.3% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Worcester, MA

$143 5.1% 13.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Worcester, MA

$67 2.4% 4.9% $3.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Worcester, MA

$17 * 0.6% 73.4% $46

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 $2,026 in Worcester, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Worcester, MA pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $73 in Worcester, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $401 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Worcester, MA

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

206,518

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Worcester, MA 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Worcester, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,799 in Worcester, MA, so Lisbon is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% 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 $2,026 in Worcester, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Worcester, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,799 in Worcester, MA – Lisbon is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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