Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Louisville, KY and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Louisville, KY and in Lisbon: $2,241 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

Louisville, KY
🇺🇸 United States
$2,241
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,241 in Louisville, KY versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

  • Louisville, KY $2,241
  • Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,445 in Louisville, KY versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

  • Louisville, KY $3,445
  • Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,648 in Louisville, KY versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Louisville, KY $4,648
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Louisville, KY is roughly 2% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Louisville, KY 65% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Louisville, KY
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.79 $14.79
$17.04 €15.15
-13.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.4 $71.4
$62.3 €55.4
14.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 $9.66
$11.02 €9.80
-12.34%
Cappuccino
$5.18 $5.18
$3.12 €2.78
66.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 $2.19
$2.27 €2.02
-3.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 $1.59
$1.74 €1.55
-8.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.93 $5.93
$3.42 €3.04
73.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.05 $7.05
$3.74 €3.33
88.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Louisville, KY
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.75 $0.75
$1.17 €1.04
-35.90%
White Bread (500g)
$3.31 $3.31
$1.86 €1.66
77.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.13 $5.13
$1.54 €1.37
233.12%
Eggs
$3.60 $3.60
$4.06 €3.61
-11.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.38 $15.38
$12.91 €11.49
19.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.10 $12.10
$7.90 €7.03
53.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.33 $16.33
$17.64 €15.69
-7.43%
Apples (1kg)
$5.37 $5.37
$2.26 €2.01
137.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.60 $1.60
$1.75 €1.55
-8.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.54 $4.54
$1.89 €1.68
140.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.54 $4.54
$2.56 €2.27
77.34%
Potato (1kg)
$2.78 $2.78
$1.85 €1.64
50.27%
Onion (1kg)
$3.01 $3.01
$1.97 €1.75
52.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.45 €1.29
55.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 $2.36
$0.77 €0.69
206.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.24 $9.24
$6.71 €5.97
37.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.82 $15.82
$5.67 €5.04
179.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.76 $2.76
$1.37 €1.22
101.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.95 $3.95
$2.11 €1.88
87.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Louisville, KY
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 $1.70
$2.32 €2.07
-26.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.6 $50.6
$44.43 €39.52
13.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.78 $2.78
$3.95 €3.51
-29.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.41 $1.41
$1.05 €0.93
34.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.34 $30.34
$17.15 €15.26
76.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 $0.95
$2.19 €1.95
-56.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.9K $33.9K
$33.8K €30.0K
0.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K $26.7K
$38.3K €34.0K
-30.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Louisville, KY
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 $180
$164 €146
9.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$60.2 $60.2
$18.48 €16.43
225.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.1 $68.1
$32.96 €29.32
106.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Louisville, KY
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.34 $20.34
$45.87 €40.80
-55.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$2.45 $2.45
$18.68 €16.61
-86.88%
Cinema Ticket
$11.13 $11.13
$9.75 €8.67
14.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Louisville, KY
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,268 $1,268
$684 €608
85.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.3K $16.3K
$17.6K €15.7K
-7.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Louisville, KY
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.73 $49.73
$104 €92.3
-52.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.18 $41.18
$46.20 €41.09
-10.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.7 $97.7
$99.7 €88.7
-2.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 $111
$125 €111
-11.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Louisville, KY
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,582 $1,582
$1,589 €1,414
-0.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 $1,006
$1,169 €1,040
-13.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,971 $1,971
$2,851 €2,536
-30.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,923 $1,923
$1,993 €1,773
-3.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,682 $2,682
$7,793 €6,932
-65.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,779 $1,779
$4,418 €3,930
-59.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Louisville, KY
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,973 $3,973
$1,600 €1,423
148.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
3.85
70.65%

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

Last update for Louisville, KY: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Louisville, KY
$1K
Lisbon
$1.2K 16.2% $163
Groceries & Markets
Louisville, KY
$414
Lisbon
$273 34% $141
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Louisville, KY
$308
Lisbon
$215 30.2% $93
Eating Out
Louisville, KY
$268
Lisbon
$247 7.8% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Louisville, KY
$135
Lisbon
$168 25% $34
Getting Around
Louisville, KY
$67
Lisbon
$63 6.4% $4.3
Sport & Entertainment
Louisville, KY
$43
Lisbon
$65 53.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,582 in Louisville, KY and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Louisville, KY pays 148% 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: $71.0 in Louisville, KY vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Louisville, KY
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
20:16 8:16 PM
01:16 1:16 AM
5 h ahead of Louisville, KY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
612,780
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Louisville, KY Lisbon 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Louisville, KY
  • 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
Louisville, KY vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Louisville, KY and in Lisbon?
Louisville, KY and Lisbon differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,241 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Louisville, KY or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 148% higher in Louisville, KY, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Louisville, KY and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,582 in Louisville, KY versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Louisville, KY and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $1,268 in Louisville, KY versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Louisville, KY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,241 in Louisville, KY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Louisville, KY. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Louisville, KY and Lisbon?
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.
Is Louisville, KY or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Louisville, KY 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.
Where should expats move: Louisville, KY or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Louisville, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Louisville, KY vs other spots: cost of living compared

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