Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mesa, AZ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,573 in Mesa, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Mesa, AZ
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Mesa, AZ Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mesa, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,573

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,573 in Mesa, AZ versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Mesa, AZ $2,573
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,821 in Mesa, AZ versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Mesa, AZ $3,821
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,069 in Mesa, AZ versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Mesa, AZ $5,069
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Mesa, AZ is roughly 17% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mesa, AZ 90% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 $19.81

$17.04 €15.15

16.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$62.3 €55.4

27.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 $13.37

$11.02 €9.80

21.32%

Cappuccino

$5.96 $5.96

$3.12 €2.78

91.03%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$2.27 €2.02

17.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.74 €1.55

25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.42 €3.04

73.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.48 $7.48

$3.74 €3.33

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.17 €1.04

-19.66%

White Bread (500g)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.86 €1.66

119.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$1.54 €1.37

286.36%

Eggs

$4.61 $4.61

$4.06 €3.61

13.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.64 $13.64

$12.91 €11.49

5.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.63 $13.63

$7.90 €7.03

72.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 $17.03

$17.64 €15.69

-3.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.26 €2.01

141.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.75 €1.55

6.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.89 €1.68

120.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.56 €2.27

106.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.85 €1.64

80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.97 €1.75

53.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.45 €1.29

49.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$0.77 €0.69

237.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.95 $10.95

$6.71 €5.97

63.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.24 $14.24

$5.67 €5.04

151.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.37 €1.22

81.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.11 €1.88

63.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.32 €2.07

9.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.80 $34.80

$44.43 €39.52

-21.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.95 €3.51

-29.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.05 €0.93

28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.96 $35.96

$17.15 €15.26

109.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.19 €1.95

-47.49%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$33.8K €30.0K

9.17%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.3K €34.0K

-31.13%

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

$234 $234

$164 €146

42.92%

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

$62.5 $62.5

$18.48 €16.43

238.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 $72.7

$32.96 €29.32

120.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.52 $41.52

$45.87 €40.80

-9.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 $11.12

$18.68 €16.61

-40.47%

Cinema Ticket

$12.81 $12.81

$9.75 €8.67

31.38%

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

$1,178 $1,178

$684 €608

72.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$17.6K €15.7K

-12.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 $54.4

$104 €92.3

-47.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 $43.70

$46.20 €41.09

-5.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 $98.9

$99.7 €88.7

-0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$125 €111

-8.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$1,589 €1,414

-13.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 $1,170

$1,169 €1,040

0.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,300 $2,300

$2,851 €2,536

-19.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 $1,998

$1,993 €1,773

0.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,186 $3,186

$7,793 €6,932

-59.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,747 $2,747

$4,418 €3,930

-37.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,310 $4,310

$1,600 €1,423

169.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

3.85

67.27%

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

Last update for Mesa, AZ: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mesa, AZ

$1.2K 45.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 0.1% $0.6

Groceries & Markets

Mesa, AZ

$438 17%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 37.6% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mesa, AZ

$369 14.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 41.7% $154

Eating Out

Mesa, AZ

$334 13%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 26% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Mesa, AZ

$140 5.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 20.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Mesa, AZ

$67 2.6%

Lisbon

$65 3% 2.6% $1.8

Getting Around

Mesa, AZ

$55 2.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 15.4% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,380 in Mesa, AZ and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mesa, AZ pays 169% 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: $79.0 in Mesa, AZ vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $438 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mesa, AZ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

06:22 6:22 AM

8 h ahead of Mesa, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

504,258

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

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Between locations

Mesa, AZ Lisbon 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mesa, AZ
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

Mesa, AZ vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mesa, AZ and Lisbon differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,573 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 169% higher in Mesa, AZ, 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: $1,380 in Mesa, AZ versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,178 in Mesa, AZ versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Mesa, AZ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,573 in Mesa, AZ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Mesa, AZ. 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, Mesa, AZ 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 17% less than in Mesa, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.