Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monrovia, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia, CA
Learn more

Monrovia, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Monrovia, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Monrovia, CA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Monrovia, CA $2,704
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,049 in Monrovia, CA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Monrovia, CA $4,049
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,394 in Monrovia, CA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Monrovia, CA $5,394
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Monrovia, 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: Monrovia, CA 100% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.92 $24.92

$17.04 €15.15

46.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$62.3 €55.4

62.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 $11.66

$11.02 €9.80

5.81%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$3.12 €2.78

79.81%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$2.27 €2.02

18.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.74 €1.55

13.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 $8.23

$3.42 €3.04

140.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.63 $9.63

$3.74 €3.33

157.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.17 €1.04

0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$5.85 $5.85

$1.86 €1.66

214.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.54 €1.37

174.68%

Eggs

$4.94 $4.94

$4.06 €3.61

21.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$12.91 €11.49

-3.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.92 $20.92

$7.90 €7.03

164.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$17.64 €15.69

-20.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.26 €2.01

148.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.75 €1.55

-2.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.89 €1.68

126.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$2.56 €2.27

148.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.85 €1.64

96.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.97 €1.75

77.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.45 €1.29

65.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.77 €0.69

194.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.63 $11.63

$6.71 €5.97

73.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$5.67 €5.04

160.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.37 €1.22

27.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.11 €1.88

46.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.32 €2.07

-15.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.95 €3.51

16.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.05 €0.93

72.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.58 $35.58

$17.15 €15.26

107.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.19 €1.95

-26.94%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.8K €30.0K

-17.94%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.3K €34.0K

-30.58%

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

$218 $218

$164 €146

33.14%

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

$72.4 $72.4

$18.48 €16.43

291.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$32.96 €29.32

116.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.11 $39.11

$45.87 €40.80

-14.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$9.75 €8.67

20.92%

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

$1,948 $1,948

$684 €608

184.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.6K $42.6K

$17.6K €15.7K

141.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 $73.1

$104 €92.3

-29.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.92 $40.92

$46.20 €41.09

-11.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$99.7 €88.7

-19.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 $171

$125 €111

37.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$1,589 €1,414

-0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 $1,235

$1,169 €1,040

5.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$2,851 €2,536

-12.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 $2,041

$1,993 €1,773

2.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,557 $2,557

$7,793 €6,932

-67.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$4,418 €3,930

-46.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.85

72.47%

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

Last update for Monrovia, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monrovia, CA

$1.2K 45.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 5.4% $66

Groceries & Markets

Monrovia, CA

$477 17.7%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 42.8% $204

Eating Out

Monrovia, CA

$381 14.1%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 35% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monrovia, CA

$362 13.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 40.5% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Monrovia, CA

$165 6.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 2.3% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Monrovia, CA

$63 2.3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 4.3% $2.7

Getting Around

Monrovia, CA

$21 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 193% $41

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 $1,577 in Monrovia, CA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $101 in Monrovia, CA vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monrovia, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

20:34 8:34 PM

8 h ahead of Monrovia, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,590

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monrovia, CA Lisbon 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Monrovia, 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

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

Monrovia, CA and Lisbon differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,704 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,056 in Monrovia, CA and $3,302 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,577 in Monrovia, CA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Monrovia, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Monrovia, CA versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Monrovia, CA. 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, Monrovia, CA 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 23% less than in Monrovia, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.