Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lowell, MA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,623 in Lowell, MA, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Lowell, MA
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Lowell, MA Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lowell, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,623

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,623 in Lowell, MA versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Lowell, MA $2,623
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,189 in Lowell, MA versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Lowell, MA $4,189
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,755 in Lowell, MA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Lowell, MA $5,755
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Lowell, MA is roughly 19% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lowell, MA 94% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.58 $16.58

$16.86 €15.08

-1.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 $71.2

$61.0 €54.6

16.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 $8.79

$10.98 €9.82

-19.95%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.05 €2.73

62.30%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$2.28 €2.04

-10.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.68 €1.50

-2.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.44 €3.07

47.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 $7.84

$3.91 €3.49

100.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.15 €1.03

-24.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.89 €1.69

17.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$1.50 €1.34

256.00%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$4.12 €3.68

-5.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 $11.25

$13.01 €11.63

-13.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$8.04 €7.19

10.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 $17.87

$17.89 €16.00

-0.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.27 €2.03

20.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.74 €1.56

-29.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.60 $6.60

$1.82 €1.63

262.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.69 €2.40

110.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.77 €1.58

-9.04%

Onion (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.94 €1.73

122.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.46 €1.31

60.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.76 €0.68

193.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.90 $13.90

$6.66 €5.95

108.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 $13.77

$5.64 €5.04

144.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.29 €1.15

31.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.14 €1.91

81.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.30 €2.06

-19.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 $54.6

$44.02 €39.36

24.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 $3.87

$3.98 €3.56

-2.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.64 €0.57

164.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.74 $28.74

$18.93 €16.92

51.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.28 €2.03

-60.53%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.4K €29.8K

-18.75%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$38.5K €34.4K

-29.66%

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

$188 $188

$158 €141

18.57%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$17.54 €15.68

197.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.4 $66.4

$31.18 €27.89

112.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.27 $39.27

$44.64 €39.92

-12.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.32 $12.32

$18.98 €16.97

-35.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.07 $14.07

$9.58 €8.56

46.87%

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

$1,396 $1,396

$674 €602

107.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.3K $44.3K

$18.7K €16.7K

136.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 $57.0

$102 €91.4

-44.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.87 $37.87

$45.90 €41.04

-17.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 $78.6

$102 €91.4

-23.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.5 $70.5

$122 €109

-42.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,647 $1,647

$1,641 €1,467

0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 $1,423

$1,187 €1,062

19.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,643 $3,643

$2,825 €2,526

28.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,097 $3,097

$2,018 €1,805

53.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,527 $3,527

$7,836 €7,007

-54.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,540 $3,540

$4,701 €4,204

-24.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,031 $4,031

$1,687 €1,508

138.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

3.82

59.69%

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

Last update for Lowell, MA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lowell, MA

$1.4K 54.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 16.5% $235

Groceries & Markets

Lowell, MA

$368 14.1%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 25.5% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lowell, MA

$306 11.7%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 32.4% $99

Eating Out

Lowell, MA

$274 10.5%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 10.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Lowell, MA

$110 4.2%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 52.6% $58

Getting Around

Lowell, MA

$74 2.8%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 18.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lowell, MA

$67 2.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 5.4% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,647 in Lowell, MA and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lowell, MA pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Lowell, MA vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lowell, MA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

15:34 3:34 PM

5 h ahead of Lowell, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,519

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lowell, MA Lisbon 5,140 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lowell, MA
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

Lowell, MA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,623 in Lowell, MA and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lowell, MA is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $1,647 in Lowell, MA versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,396 in Lowell, MA versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Lowell, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon 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.

Safety-wise, Lowell, MA and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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