Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McLean, VA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,998 in McLean, VA, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in McLean, VA
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McLean, VA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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McLean, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,998

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,998 in McLean, VA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

McLean, VA $2,998
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,767 in McLean, VA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

McLean, VA $4,767
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,536 in McLean, VA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

McLean, VA $6,536
Lisbon $4,346

Living in McLean, VA is roughly 36% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: McLean, VA 121% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 $16.76

$17.04 €15.15

-1.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 $69.9

$62.3 €55.4

12.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 $11.58

$11.02 €9.80

5.08%

Cappuccino

$5.45 $5.45

$3.12 €2.78

74.68%

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

$2.34 $2.34

$2.27 €2.02

3.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.74 €1.55

12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.42 €3.04

163.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$3.74 €3.33

169.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.17 €1.04

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.86 €1.66

118.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.54 €1.37

43.51%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$4.06 €3.61

15.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.35 $17.35

$12.91 €11.49

34.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.99 $16.99

$7.90 €7.03

115.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.31 $18.31

$17.64 €15.69

3.80%

Apples (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$2.26 €2.01

180.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.75 €1.55

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$1.89 €1.68

167.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$2.56 €2.27

124.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.85 €1.64

56.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.97 €1.75

89.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.45 €1.29

78.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.77 €0.69

244.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 $14.26

$6.71 €5.97

112.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.69 $15.69

$5.67 €5.04

176.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.37 €1.22

132.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.11 €1.88

167.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.32 €2.07

6.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.95 €3.51

0.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.05 €0.93

50.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.19 $25.19

$17.15 €15.26

46.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.19 €1.95

-58.45%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$33.8K €30.0K

2.88%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-32.35%

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

$207 $207

$164 €146

26.51%

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

$75.4 $75.4

$18.48 €16.43

307.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 $55.6

$32.96 €29.32

68.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.6 $90.6

$45.87 €40.80

97.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$18.26 $18.26

$9.75 €8.67

87.28%

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

$1,940 $1,940

$684 €608

183.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.8K $41.8K

$17.6K €15.7K

137.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 $52.0

$104 €92.3

-49.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.07 $44.07

$46.20 €41.09

-4.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 $68.9

$99.7 €88.7

-30.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.0 $66.0

$125 €111

-47.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,836 $2,836

$1,589 €1,414

78.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 $1,610

$1,169 €1,040

37.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,942 $3,942

$2,851 €2,536

38.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,506 $3,506

$1,993 €1,773

75.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,722 $5,722

$1,600 €1,423

257.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

3.85

72.21%

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

Last update for McLean, VA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

McLean, VA

$1.6K 53.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 27.4% $441

Groceries & Markets

McLean, VA

$480 16%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 43.1% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McLean, VA

$338 11.3%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 36.4% $123

Eating Out

McLean, VA

$317 10.6%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 21.9% $69

Sport & Entertainment

McLean, VA

$127 4.2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 48.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

McLean, VA

$104 3.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 62.1% $65

Getting Around

McLean, VA

$22 * 0.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 190% $41

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 $2,836 in McLean, VA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McLean, VA pays 258% 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: $70.0 in McLean, VA vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $480 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McLean, VA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

12:36 12:36 PM

5 h ahead of McLean, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,115

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

McLean, VA Lisbon 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

McLean, VA
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

McLean, VA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

McLean, VA and Lisbon differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,998 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 258% higher in McLean, VA, 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: $2,836 in McLean, VA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in McLean, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,998 per month in McLean, VA versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,998 in McLean, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in McLean, VA. 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, McLean, VA 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 36% less than in McLean, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.