Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merced, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,556 in Merced, CA, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in Merced, CA despite lower rent and utilities.

122

Cost of Living Index in Merced, CA
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Merced, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,556

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,556 in Merced, CA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Merced, CA $2,556
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,713 in Merced, CA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Merced, CA $3,713
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,870 in Merced, CA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Merced, CA $4,870
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Merced, CA is roughly 16% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merced, CA 88% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 $17.37

$16.65 €14.91

4.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.27 $40.27

$61.7 €55.3

-34.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$11.36 €10.17

4.84%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$2.97 €2.66

94.95%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$2.29 €2.05

6.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.74 €1.56

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.95 $8.95

$3.40 €3.05

163.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 $10.02

$3.31 €2.96

202.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.16 €1.04

6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.91 €1.71

127.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.51 €1.35

167.55%

Eggs

$5.82 $5.82

$4.02 €3.60

44.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.36 $19.36

$12.94 €11.59

49.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 $14.35

$7.77 €6.96

84.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 $21.51

$17.76 €15.91

21.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.30 €2.06

89.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.73 €1.55

12.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$1.86 €1.66

203.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.59 €2.32

111.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.82 €1.63

93.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.97 €1.76

53.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.47 €1.32

59.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.72 €0.65

254.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.81 $11.81

$6.58 €5.90

79.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.91 $15.91

$5.61 €5.02

183.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.36 €1.22

77.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.14 €1.91

54.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.33 €2.09

-33.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 $61.1

$44.68 €40.01

36.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.85 €3.45

-21.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.07 €0.96

58.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 $26.85

$16.46 €14.74

63.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.20 €1.97

-39.55%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

6.61%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.7K €34.7K

-32.99%

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

$240 $240

$161 €144

48.70%

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

$29.53 $29.53

$18.41 €16.49

60.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 $84.6

$32.74 €29.32

158.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 $33.09

$44.55 €39.90

-25.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.86 $13.86

$19.10 €17.10

-27.43%

Cinema Ticket

$16.14 $16.14

$9.60 €8.60

68.13%

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

$1,870 $1,870

$668 €598

180.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K $39.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

122.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 $60.7

$102 €91.4

-40.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$44.46 €39.82

17.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$98.5 €88.2

3.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$124 €111

-1.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 $1,641

$1,608 €1,440

2.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 $1,102

$1,190 €1,066

-7.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 $1,970

$2,812 €2,519

-29.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,889 $1,889

$2,013 €1,803

-6.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,939 $2,939

$7,839 €7,021

-62.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,932 $2,932

$4,576 €4,098

-35.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 $3,357

$1,575 €1,411

113.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

3.85

65.19%

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

Last update for Merced, CA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merced, CA

$1.1K 43.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 8% $89

Groceries & Markets

Merced, CA

$480 18.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 43.3% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merced, CA

$354 13.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 40% $142

Eating Out

Merced, CA

$325 12.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 25.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Merced, CA

$151 5.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 9.6% $15

Getting Around

Merced, CA

$79 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 19.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Merced, CA

$65 2.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 2.5% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Merced, CA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Merced, CA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Merced, CA vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $480 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

16:43 4:43 PM

8 h ahead of Merced, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,316

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

On the map

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Between locations

Merced, CA Lisbon 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Merced, CA
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

Merced, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,556 in Merced, CA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Merced, CA is about 2.1 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: $1,641 in Merced, CA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,870 in Merced, CA versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Merced, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.