Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne, AR and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,395 in Melbourne, AR, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne, AR
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Melbourne, AR Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Melbourne, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,395

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,395 in Melbourne, AR versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Melbourne, AR $2,395
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,533 in Melbourne, AR versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Melbourne, AR $3,533
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,672 in Melbourne, AR versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Melbourne, AR $4,672
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Melbourne, AR is roughly 8% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne, AR 77% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.80 $6.80

$16.50 €14.67

-58.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 $77.6

$61.3 €54.5

26.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 $9.33

$11.27 €10.03

-17.21%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$3.06 €2.72

88.89%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$2.26 €2.01

-13.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.73 €1.54

-2.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.39 €3.02

74.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$3.40 €3.02

104.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.12 €1.00

-21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.86 €1.65

104.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$1.53 €1.36

280.39%

Eggs

$5.33 $5.33

$3.96 €3.53

34.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 $8.15

$12.76 €11.35

-36.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 $8.37

$7.90 €7.02

5.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$16.97 €15.09

-21.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.27 €2.02

97.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.75 €1.55

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.85 €1.64

52.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.57 €2.28

86.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.86 €1.65

3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.02 €1.80

21.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.44 €1.28

1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.82 €0.73

147.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.86 $8.86

$6.56 €5.83

35.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 $18.94

$5.62 €5.00

237.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.28 €1.14

103.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.07 €1.84

117.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.35 €2.09

-11.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.99 €3.55

-25.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.09 €0.97

51.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.45 $32.45

$16.64 €14.81

95.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.28 €2.03

-57.02%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

8.82%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$39.3K €35.0K

-32.66%

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

$176 $176

$167 €149

5.29%

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

$55.8 $55.8

$18.80 €16.72

196.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.4 $63.4

$33.09 €29.43

91.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.88 $41.88

$46.01 €40.93

-8.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 $9.91

$9.84 €8.75

0.71%

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

$1,075 $1,075

$677 €602

58.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K $21.1K

$16.9K €15.1K

24.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 $59.3

$101 €90.1

-41.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$45.76 €40.70

10.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$100.0 €88.9

13.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$123 €109

-7.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 $1,598

$1,614 €1,436

-1.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 $1,291

$1,197 €1,065

7.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,289 $2,289

$2,862 €2,545

-20.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,990 €1,770

10.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,938 $2,938

$7,577 €6,740

-61.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 $2,284

$4,307 €3,831

-46.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

3.85

75.84%

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

Last update for Melbourne, AR: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne, AR

$1.3K 53.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 7.3% $94

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne, AR

$365 15.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 26.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne, AR

$296 12.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 25.8% $76

Eating Out

Melbourne, AR

$210 8.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 15.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne, AR

$152 6.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 9.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne, AR

$62 2.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 6.5% $4

Getting Around

Melbourne, AR

$20 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 222% $43

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 $1,598 in Melbourne, AR and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78.0 in Melbourne, AR vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Melbourne, AR

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

09:41 9:41 AM

6 h ahead of Melbourne, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,068

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

Melbourne, AR Lisbon 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne, AR
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

Melbourne, AR vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne, AR and Lisbon differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,395 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,592 in Melbourne, AR and $3,335 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: $1,598 in Melbourne, AR versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Melbourne, AR. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,395 per month in Melbourne, AR versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,395 in Melbourne, AR, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Melbourne, AR. 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, Melbourne, AR 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 8% less than in Melbourne, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.