Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McAllen, TX and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in McAllen, TX: $1,937 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in McAllen, TX
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McAllen, TX Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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McAllen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,937

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,937 in McAllen, TX versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

McAllen, TX $1,937
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,918 in McAllen, TX versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

McAllen, TX $2,918
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,900 in McAllen, TX versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

McAllen, TX $3,900
Lisbon $4,341

Living in McAllen, TX costs roughly 12% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: McAllen, TX 42% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.25 $18.25

$16.65 €14.92

9.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 $74.2

$61.7 €55.3

20.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.83 $7.83

$11.36 €10.18

-31.07%

Cappuccino

$4.51 $4.51

$2.97 €2.66

51.85%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$2.29 €2.05

6.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.74 €1.56

16.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.85 $4.85

$3.40 €3.05

42.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.31 €2.97

64.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.16 €1.04

-21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.91 €1.71

56.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.51 €1.36

192.72%

Eggs

$3.40 $3.40

$4.02 €3.60

-15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 $9.45

$12.94 €11.59

-26.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.48 $12.48

$7.77 €6.97

60.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.44 $15.44

$17.76 €15.92

-13.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.30 €2.06

122.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.73 €1.55

37.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.86 €1.66

79.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.59 €2.32

-19.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.82 €1.63

64.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.97 €1.76

34.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.47 €1.32

20.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.72 €0.65

184.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.72 $9.72

$6.58 €5.90

47.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.28 $16.28

$5.61 €5.02

190.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.36 €1.22

53.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.14 €1.91

5.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.33 €2.09

-56.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.1 $60.1

$44.68 €40.04

34.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 $4.28

$3.85 €3.45

11.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.07 €0.96

-28.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.20 €1.97

-62.27%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$34.2K €30.6K

-16.24%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$38.7K €34.7K

-37.22%

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

$162 $162

$161 €144

0.37%

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

$38.02 $38.02

$18.41 €16.50

106.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$32.74 €29.34

106.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.11 $49.11

$44.55 €39.92

10.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 $11.98

$9.60 €8.60

24.79%

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

$765 $765

$668 €598

14.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 $77.3

$102 €91.4

-24.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.32 $44.32

$44.46 €39.85

-0.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 $76.3

$98.5 €88.3

-22.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 $94.7

$124 €111

-23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 $825

$1,608 €1,441

-48.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 $751

$1,190 €1,066

-36.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 $1,402

$2,812 €2,520

-50.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$2,013 €1,804

-38.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,889 $1,889

$7,839 €7,025

-75.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,620 $1,620

$4,576 €4,100

-64.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,638 $3,638

$1,575 €1,411

131.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

3.85

68.31%

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

Last update for McAllen, TX: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

McAllen, TX

$751 38.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 58.4% $439

Groceries & Markets

McAllen, TX

$364 18.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 25.3% $92

Eating Out

McAllen, TX

$277 14.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 12.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McAllen, TX

$267 13.8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 20.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

McAllen, TX

$132 6.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 26% $34

Sport & Entertainment

McAllen, TX

$73 3.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 12.8% $9.3

Getting Around

McAllen, TX

$72 3.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 12.5% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $825 in McAllen, TX and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McAllen, TX pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74 in McAllen, TX vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McAllen, TX

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

6 h ahead of McAllen, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,210

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

McAllen, TX Lisbon 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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McAllen, TX
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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

McAllen, TX vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,937 in McAllen, TX and $2,210 in Lisbon, so McAllen, TX is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in McAllen, TX is about 2.3 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: $825 in McAllen, TX versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $765 in McAllen, TX versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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