Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Memphis, TN and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,501 in Memphis, TN, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. The total is higher in Memphis, TN despite lower rent and utilities.

122

Cost of Living Index in Memphis, TN
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Memphis, TN Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Memphis, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,501

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,501 in Memphis, TN versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Memphis, TN $2,501
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,673 in Memphis, TN versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Memphis, TN $3,673
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Memphis, TN versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Memphis, TN $4,844
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Memphis, TN is roughly 13% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Memphis, TN 85% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.99 $17.99

$16.50 €14.67

9.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$61.3 €54.5

21.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$11.27 €10.02

7.90%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.06 €2.72

85.62%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$2.26 €2.01

6.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.73 €1.54

15.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.39 €3.02

110.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.40 €3.02

136.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.12 €1.00

-16.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.86 €1.65

69.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.53 €1.36

158.82%

Eggs

$3.77 $3.77

$3.96 €3.53

-4.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$12.76 €11.35

3.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 $11.45

$7.90 €7.02

44.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.84 $18.84

$16.97 €15.09

11.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.27 €2.02

149.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.75 €1.55

-2.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$1.85 €1.64

208.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.57 €2.28

93.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.86 €1.65

68.82%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.02 €1.80

106.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.44 €1.28

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.82 €0.73

163.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.87 $10.87

$6.56 €5.83

65.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 $12.94

$5.62 €5.00

130.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.28 €1.14

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.07 €1.84

-22.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.35 €2.09

-56.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.55 $38.55

$44.18 €39.29

-12.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.99 €3.55

-49.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.09 €0.97

29.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.36 $20.36

$16.64 €14.80

22.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.28 €2.03

-55.26%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

10.91%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$39.3K €34.9K

-31.07%

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

$187 $187

$167 €149

11.74%

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

$86.3 $86.3

$18.80 €16.72

358.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 $75.8

$33.09 €29.43

129.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.47 $31.47

$46.01 €40.92

-31.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 $16.62

$19.19 €17.07

-13.39%

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$9.84 €8.75

50.00%

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

$1,720 $1,720

$677 €602

154.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$16.9K €15.0K

46.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.08 $47.08

$101 €90.0

-53.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.58 $33.58

$45.76 €40.70

-26.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 $82.2

$100.0 €88.9

-17.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 $156

$123 €109

26.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 $1,448

$1,614 €1,435

-10.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,175 $1,175

$1,197 €1,065

-1.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,073 $2,073

$2,862 €2,545

-27.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 $1,900

$1,990 €1,770

-4.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 $1,755

$7,577 €6,739

-76.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,351 $1,351

$4,307 €3,831

-68.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,523 $3,523

$1,588 €1,412

121.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

3.85

71.43%

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

Last update for Memphis, TN: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Memphis, TN

$1.2K 47%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 1.9% $22

Groceries & Markets

Memphis, TN

$404 16.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 33.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Memphis, TN

$349 14%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 37.2% $130

Eating Out

Memphis, TN

$318 12.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 23.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Memphis, TN

$143 5.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 16.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Memphis, TN

$61 2.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 7.7% $4.7

Getting Around

Memphis, TN

$52 2.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 21.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,448 in Memphis, TN and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Memphis, TN pays 122% 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: $74.0 in Memphis, TN vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Memphis, TN

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

6 h ahead of Memphis, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

633,104

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Memphis, TN Lisbon 6,960 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Memphis, TN
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

Memphis, TN vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Memphis, TN and Lisbon differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,501 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 122% higher in Memphis, TN, 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: $1,448 in Memphis, TN versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,720 in Memphis, TN versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Memphis, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,501 in Memphis, TN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Memphis, TN. 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, Memphis, TN 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 13% less than in Memphis, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.