Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medford, MA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $3,043 in Medford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Medford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,043

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,043 in Medford, MA versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Medford, MA $3,043
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,134 in Medford, MA versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Medford, MA $4,134
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,225 in Medford, MA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Medford, MA $5,225
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Medford, MA is roughly 38% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medford, MA 125% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 $17.41

$16.86 €15.00

3.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.9 $92.9

$61.0 €54.3

52.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$10.98 €9.77

10.66%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$3.05 €2.71

75.41%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$2.28 €2.03

25.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.68 €1.50

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 $8.04

$3.44 €3.06

133.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.78 $7.78

$3.91 €3.48

98.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.15 €1.02

-6.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.89 €1.68

101.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$1.50 €1.34

267.33%

Eggs

$4.66 $4.66

$4.12 €3.66

13.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$13.01 €11.57

-14.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.98 $13.98

$8.04 €7.16

73.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.86 $17.86

$17.89 €15.92

-0.17%

Apples (1kg)

$6.84 $6.84

$2.27 €2.02

201.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.74 €1.55

4.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$1.82 €1.62

202.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$2.69 €2.39

110.41%

Potato (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.77 €1.57

149.72%

Onion (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$1.94 €1.72

107.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.46 €1.30

55.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.76 €0.68

34.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.36 $13.36

$6.66 €5.92

100.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 $13.78

$5.64 €5.02

144.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.29 €1.15

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.14 €1.90

85.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.30 €2.05

7.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 $59.0

$44.02 €39.17

33.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.98 €3.54

-34.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.64 €0.57

170.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.77 $27.77

$18.93 €16.84

46.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.28 €2.03

-52.63%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.4K €29.7K

-18.88%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$38.5K €34.3K

-30.77%

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

$236 $236

$158 €141

49.21%

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

$55.8 $55.8

$17.54 €15.61

217.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.7 $81.7

$31.18 €27.75

161.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.97 $42.97

$44.64 €39.73

-3.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

Cinema Ticket

$14.12 $14.12

$9.58 €8.52

47.39%

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

$1,849 $1,849

$674 €599

174.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.9K $44.9K

$18.7K €16.7K

139.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$102 €90.9

-45.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 $37.57

$45.90 €40.85

-18.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 $80.8

$102 €91.0

-20.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$122 €109

-17.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 $1,554

$1,641 €1,460

-5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,647 $1,647

$1,187 €1,057

38.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,594 $2,594

$2,825 €2,514

-8.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$2,018 €1,796

4.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,788 $2,788

$7,836 €6,973

-64.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 $2,298

$4,701 €4,183

-51.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.82

73.82%

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

Last update for Medford, 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

Medford, MA

$1.6K 54.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 27.9% $459

Groceries & Markets

Medford, MA

$431 14.2%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 36.3% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medford, MA

$373 12.3%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 44.6% $167

Eating Out

Medford, MA

$317 10.4%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 22.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Medford, MA

$124 4.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 35.3% $44

Getting Around

Medford, MA

$80 2.6%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 24.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Medford, MA

$71 2.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 10.4% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,554 in Medford, MA and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $93 in Medford, MA vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Medford, MA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

09:41 9:41 AM

5 h ahead of Medford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,173

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

Medford, MA Lisbon 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medford, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,043 in Medford, MA and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,565 in Medford, MA and $3,309 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,554 in Medford, MA versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,849 in Medford, 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 57% higher in Medford, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,206 in Lisbon versus $3,043 in Medford, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Medford, MA. 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, Medford, MA and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.