Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montclair, NJ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,899 in Montclair, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Montclair, NJ, United States
Lisbon, Portugal
Montclair, NJ
🇺🇸 United States
$2,899
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,899 in Montclair, NJ versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Montclair, NJ $2,899
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,264 in Montclair, NJ versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Montclair, NJ $4,264
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,629 in Montclair, NJ versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Montclair, NJ $5,629
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Montclair, NJ is roughly 31% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montclair, NJ 113% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montclair, NJ
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.04 $20.04
$16.65 €14.95
20.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.7 $80.7
$61.7 €55.5
30.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.14 $13.14
$11.36 €10.20
15.67%
Cappuccino
$6.35 $6.35
$2.97 €2.67
113.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 $2.45
$2.29 €2.06
6.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 $1.46
$1.74 €1.56
-16.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.14 $8.14
$3.40 €3.06
139.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.17 $7.17
$3.31 €2.97
116.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montclair, NJ
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 $1.27
$1.16 €1.04
9.48%
White Bread (500g)
$4.48 $4.48
$1.91 €1.72
134.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.05 $6.05
$1.51 €1.36
300.66%
Eggs
$6.13 $6.13
$4.02 €3.61
52.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.76 $13.76
$12.94 €11.62
6.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.20 $10.20
$7.77 €6.98
31.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.41 $19.41
$17.76 €15.95
9.29%
Apples (1kg)
$6.04 $6.04
$2.30 €2.07
162.61%
Banana (1kg)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.73 €1.56
30.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.22 $4.22
$1.86 €1.67
126.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.44 $5.44
$2.59 €2.33
110.04%
Potato (1kg)
$3.14 $3.14
$1.82 €1.64
72.53%
Onion (1kg)
$3.00 $3.00
$1.97 €1.77
52.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.90 $2.90
$1.47 €1.32
97.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.71 $2.71
$0.72 €0.65
276.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.55 $14.55
$6.58 €5.91
121.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.14 $15.14
$5.61 €5.04
169.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 $1.86
$1.36 €1.22
36.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 $3.57
$2.14 €1.92
66.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Montclair, NJ
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$2.33 €2.10
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.68 €40.14
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.06 $3.06
$3.85 €3.46
-20.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.19 $2.19
$1.07 €0.96
104.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.69 $42.69
$16.46 €14.79
159.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$2.20 €1.98
-48.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K $27.6K
$34.2K €30.7K
-19.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.4K $25.4K
$38.7K €34.8K
-34.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montclair, NJ
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 $170
$161 €145
5.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.6 $51.6
$18.41 €16.54
180.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.5 $50.5
$32.74 €29.41
54.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montclair, NJ
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$80.8 $80.8
$44.55 €40.02
81.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.10 €17.16
-
Cinema Ticket
$20.23 $20.23
$9.60 €8.62
110.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montclair, NJ
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,998 $1,998
$668 €600
199.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K $16.2K
$17.6K €15.8K
-7.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montclair, NJ
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.1 $70.1
$102 €91.6
-31.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.0 $51.0
$44.46 €39.94
14.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 $101
$98.5 €88.5
2.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 $120
$124 €111
-2.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montclair, NJ
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,261 $2,261
$1,608 €1,445
40.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,540 $1,540
$1,190 €1,069
29.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,631 $3,631
$2,812 €2,526
29.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,557 $2,557
$2,013 €1,808
27.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,839 €7,042
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,576 €4,110
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montclair, NJ
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,575 €1,415
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.8
3.85
76.62%

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

Last update for Montclair, NJ: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montclair, NJ
$1.5K
Lisbon
$1.2K 22.7% $350
Groceries & Markets
Montclair, NJ
$451
Lisbon
$272 39.6% $178
Eating Out
Montclair, NJ
$347
Lisbon
$243 30% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montclair, NJ
$273
Lisbon
$212 22.1% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Montclair, NJ
$154
Lisbon
$166 7.8% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Montclair, NJ
$121
Lisbon
$64 47.4% $57
Getting Around
Montclair, NJ
$14 *
Lisbon
$63 352% $49

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 $2,261 in Montclair, NJ and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81 in Montclair, NJ vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $451 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Montclair, NJ
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
18:56 6:56 PM
22:56 10:56 PM
4 h ahead of Montclair, NJ
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,669
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montclair, NJ Lisbon 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montclair, NJ
  • 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
Montclair, NJ vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Montclair, NJ and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,899 in Montclair, NJ and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Montclair, NJ compared to Lisbon?
You’d need roughly $4,348 in Montclair, NJ and $3,315 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Montclair, NJ and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,261 in Montclair, NJ versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Montclair, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Montclair, NJ or Lisbon?
All in, you’ll spend $2,899 per month in Montclair, NJ versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How does quality of life compare between Montclair, NJ and Lisbon?
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.
Is Montclair, NJ or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Montclair, NJ and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Montclair, NJ vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?