Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $4,219 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

203

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,219

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Los Angeles, CA and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Los Angeles, CA and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,219 in Los Angeles, CA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Los Angeles, CA $4,219
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,290 in Los Angeles, CA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Los Angeles, CA $6,290
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,361 in Los Angeles, CA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Los Angeles, CA $8,361
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Los Angeles, CA is roughly 92% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Los Angeles, CA 211% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.68 $26.68

$17.04 €15.15

56.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$62.3 €55.4

90.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.19 $15.19

$11.02 €9.80

37.84%

Cappuccino

$6.12 $6.12

$3.12 €2.78

96.15%

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

$3.79 $3.79

$2.27 €2.02

66.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.74 €1.55

59.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$3.42 €3.04

129.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 $9.87

$3.74 €3.33

163.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.17 €1.04

13.68%

White Bread (500g)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.86 €1.66

161.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.54 €1.37

201.95%

Eggs

$5.54 $5.54

$4.06 €3.61

36.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$12.91 €11.49

-12.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.99 $15.99

$7.90 €7.03

102.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.56 $19.56

$17.64 €15.69

10.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.26 €2.01

120.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.75 €1.55

30.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.89 €1.68

158.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$2.56 €2.27

108.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.85 €1.64

84.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.97 €1.75

42.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.45 €1.29

38.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.77 €0.69

218.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$6.71 €5.97

72.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$5.67 €5.04

161.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.37 €1.22

114.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.11 €1.88

28.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.32 €2.07

-26.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 $105

$44.43 €39.52

137.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.95 €3.51

-23.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.05 €0.93

72.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.13 $32.13

$17.15 €15.26

87.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.19 €1.95

-26.03%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$33.8K €30.0K

5.64%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-29.77%

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

$280 $280

$164 €146

70.85%

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

$77.1 $77.1

$18.48 €16.43

317.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.4 $81.4

$32.96 €29.32

147.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 $76.4

$45.87 €40.80

66.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 $11.81

$18.68 €16.61

-36.78%

Cinema Ticket

$17.98 $17.98

$9.75 €8.67

84.41%

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

$1,657 $1,657

$684 €608

142.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.3K $32.3K

$17.6K €15.7K

83.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 $89.3

$104 €92.3

-13.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.2 $65.2

$46.20 €41.09

41.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$99.7 €88.7

20.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$216 $216

$125 €111

73.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,589 €1,414

61.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,442 $2,442

$1,169 €1,040

108.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,485 $5,485

$2,851 €2,536

92.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,362 $4,362

$1,993 €1,773

118.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,194 $7,194

$7,793 €6,932

-7.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,065 $7,065

$4,418 €3,930

59.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,187 $4,187

$1,600 €1,423

161.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

3.85

78.18%

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

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Angeles, CA

$2.4K 57.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 52.1% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Los Angeles, CA

$463 11%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 41.1% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Angeles, CA

$438 10.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 50.9% $223

Eating Out

Los Angeles, CA

$418 9.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 40.8% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Los Angeles, CA

$221 5.2%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 23.7% $52

Getting Around

Los Angeles, CA

$124 3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 49.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA

$112 2.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 41.8% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,565 in Los Angeles, CA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays 162% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $119 in Los Angeles, CA vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $463 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

18:45 6:45 PM

8 h ahead of Los Angeles, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,030,904

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Los Angeles, CA Lisbon 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Angeles, CA
Lisbon

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

Los Angeles, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Angeles, CA and Lisbon differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($4,219 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 162% higher in Los Angeles, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,565 in Los Angeles, CA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,657 in Los Angeles, CA versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Los Angeles, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $4,219 in Los Angeles, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, 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, Los Angeles, CA and Lisbon 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.