Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monroe, MI and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Monroe, MI and in Lisbon: $2,181 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

105

Cost of Living Index in Monroe, MI
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Monroe, MI Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Monroe, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,181

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,181 in Monroe, MI versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Monroe, MI $2,181
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,028 in Monroe, MI versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Monroe, MI $3,028
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,874 in Monroe, MI versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Monroe, MI $3,874
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Monroe, MI costs roughly 2% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monroe, MI 62% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 $12.15

$16.50 €14.67

-26.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.41 $31.41

$61.3 €54.5

-48.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 $8.44

$11.27 €10.03

-25.11%

Cappuccino

$3.43 $3.43

$3.06 €2.72

12.09%

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

$1.47 $1.47

$2.26 €2.01

-34.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.73 €1.54

-40.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 $3.96

$3.39 €3.02

16.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.40 €3.02

50.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.12 €1.00

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.86 €1.65

48.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$1.53 €1.36

193.46%

Eggs

$2.31 $2.31

$3.96 €3.53

-41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$12.76 €11.35

-12.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.50 $17.50

$7.90 €7.02

121.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.14 $34.14

$16.97 €15.09

101.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.27 €2.02

44.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.75 €1.55

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$1.85 €1.64

247.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.57 €2.28

38.13%

Potato (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$1.86 €1.65

204.30%

Onion (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.02 €1.80

176.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.44 €1.28

47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.82 €0.73

171.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.25 $8.25

$6.56 €5.83

25.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.20 $19.20

$5.62 €5.00

241.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.28 €1.14

88.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.07 €1.84

134.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.35 €2.09

-14.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.99 €3.55

-20.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.09 €0.97

187.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 $10.02

$16.64 €14.81

-39.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$2.28 €2.03

-64.91%

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

$33.9K $33.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

0.65%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-34.37%

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

$235 $235

$167 €149

40.49%

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

$64.4 $64.4

$18.80 €16.72

242.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 $51.6

$33.09 €29.43

56.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.27 $42.27

$46.01 €40.93

-8.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 $8.59

$9.84 €8.75

-12.70%

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

$644 $644

$677 €602

-4.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$16.9K €15.1K

38.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 $54.0

$101 €90.1

-46.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.18 $49.18

$45.76 €40.70

7.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 $80.4

$100.0 €88.9

-19.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$123 €109

-2.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 $1,029

$1,614 €1,436

-36.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 $924

$1,197 €1,065

-22.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 $1,420

$2,862 €2,545

-50.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 $1,301

$1,990 €1,770

-34.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 $1,860

$7,577 €6,740

-75.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 $1,825

$4,307 €3,831

-57.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,964 $5,964

$1,588 €1,412

275.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

3.85

70.39%

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

Last update for Monroe, MI: 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

Monroe, MI

$924 42.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 29.5% $273

Groceries & Markets

Monroe, MI

$479 22%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 43.8% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monroe, MI

$351 16.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 37.6% $132

Eating Out

Monroe, MI

$204 9.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 18.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Monroe, MI

$136 6.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 22% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Monroe, MI

$59 2.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 10.5% $6.2

Getting Around

Monroe, MI

$27 * 1.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 134% $36

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 $1,029 in Monroe, MI and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monroe, MI pays 276% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Monroe, MI vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $479 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monroe, MI

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

17:45 5:45 PM

5 h ahead of Monroe, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,702

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

Monroe, MI Lisbon 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Monroe, MI
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

Monroe, MI vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monroe, MI and Lisbon differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,181 vs $2,223 including rent). Monroe, MI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 276% higher in Monroe, MI, 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: $1,029 in Monroe, MI versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 78% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,181 per month in Monroe, MI versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,181 in Monroe, MI versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monroe, MI but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Monroe, MI 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, Monroe, MI 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 Monroe, MI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.