Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Modesto, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,708 in Modesto, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

130

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Modesto, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,708

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,708 in Modesto, CA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Modesto, CA $2,708
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,910 in Modesto, CA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Modesto, CA $3,910
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,112 in Modesto, CA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Modesto, CA $5,112
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Modesto, CA is roughly 23% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Modesto, CA 99% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.19 $15.19

$16.65 €14.95

-8.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$61.7 €55.5

28.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 $8.88

$11.36 €10.20

-21.83%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$2.97 €2.67

81.48%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$2.29 €2.06

13.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.74 €1.56

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.40 €3.06

49.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.31 €2.97

115.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.16 €1.04

-9.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.91 €1.72

91.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.51 €1.36

170.86%

Eggs

$5.54 $5.54

$4.02 €3.61

37.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 $12.89

$12.94 €11.62

-0.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.35 $13.35

$7.77 €6.98

71.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.65 $19.65

$17.76 €15.95

10.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$2.30 €2.07

133.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.73 €1.56

16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$1.86 €1.67

197.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.59 €2.33

110.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.82 €1.64

93.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.97 €1.77

48.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.47 €1.32

65.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.72 €0.65

254.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$6.58 €5.91

75.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$5.61 €5.04

171.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.36 €1.22

38.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.14 €1.92

55.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.33 €2.10

-15.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.49 $40.49

$44.68 €40.14

-9.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.85 €3.46

-10.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.07 €0.96

185.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.56 $30.56

$16.46 €14.79

85.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.20 €1.98

-35.00%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$34.2K €30.7K

7.99%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$38.7K €34.8K

-31.15%

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

$257 $257

$161 €145

59.40%

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

$48.45 $48.45

$18.41 €16.54

163.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$32.74 €29.41

109.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 $37.85

$44.55 €40.02

-15.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 $14.77

$19.10 €17.16

-22.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 $11.21

$9.60 €8.62

16.77%

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

$1,836 $1,836

$668 €600

174.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.6K $40.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

130.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.86 $47.86

$102 €91.6

-53.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.21 $39.21

$44.46 €39.94

-11.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 $95.1

$98.5 €88.5

-3.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$124 €111

-2.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 $1,302

$1,608 €1,445

-19.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 $1,359

$1,190 €1,069

14.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 $1,824

$2,812 €2,526

-35.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 $2,155

$2,013 €1,808

7.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 $3,619

$7,839 €7,042

-53.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,962 $2,962

$4,576 €4,110

-35.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,071 $4,071

$1,575 €1,415

158.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

3.85

58.44%

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

Last update for Modesto, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Modesto, CA

$1.4K 50.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 12.4% $169

Groceries & Markets

Modesto, CA

$442 16.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 38.3% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Modesto, CA

$374 13.8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 43.2% $162

Eating Out

Modesto, CA

$269 9.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 9.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Modesto, CA

$136 5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 21.6% $29

Getting Around

Modesto, CA

$67 2.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 5.7% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Modesto, CA

$60 2.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 5.8% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,302 in Modesto, CA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Modesto, CA pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Modesto, CA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $442 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Modesto, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

21:07 9:07 PM

7 h ahead of Modesto, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,266

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Modesto, CA Lisbon 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Modesto, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,708 in Modesto, CA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Modesto, CA is about 2.6 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: $1,302 in Modesto, CA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,836 in Modesto, 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 62% higher in Modesto, 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, Modesto, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.