Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterey, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $3,616 in Monterey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Monterey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,616

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,616 in Monterey, CA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Monterey, CA $3,616
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,349 in Monterey, CA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Monterey, CA $5,349
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,082 in Monterey, CA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Monterey, CA $7,082
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Monterey, CA is roughly 64% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterey, CA 167% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 $20.27

$17.04 €15.15

18.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 $78.6

$62.3 €55.4

26.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$11.02 €9.80

9.80%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$3.12 €2.78

67.31%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$2.27 €2.02

40.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.74 €1.55

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.42 €3.04

59.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.74 €3.33

62.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.17 €1.04

41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.86 €1.66

70.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.54 €1.37

70.78%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$4.06 €3.61

12.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.57 $9.57

$12.91 €11.49

-25.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.38 $13.38

$7.90 €7.03

69.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$17.64 €15.69

-65.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.26 €2.01

61.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.75 €1.55

-31.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.89 €1.68

70.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.56 €2.27

56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.85 €1.64

48.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.97 €1.75

-0.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.45 €1.29

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.77 €0.69

62.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.59 $11.59

$6.71 €5.97

72.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.31 $17.31

$5.67 €5.04

205.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.37 €1.22

99.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.11 €1.88

-12.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.32 €2.07

-12.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 $52.9

$44.43 €39.52

18.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.95 €3.51

-60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.05 €0.93

-9.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.04 $35.04

$17.15 €15.26

104.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.19 €1.95

-30.14%

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

$28.9K $28.9K

$33.8K €30.0K

-14.49%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$38.3K €34.0K

-32.60%

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

$238 $238

$164 €146

45.34%

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

$75.1 $75.1

$18.48 €16.43

306.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.7 $71.7

$32.96 €29.32

117.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.1 $84.1

$45.87 €40.80

83.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.63 $10.63

$18.68 €16.61

-43.09%

Cinema Ticket

$12.75 $12.75

$9.75 €8.67

30.77%

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

$555 $555

$684 €608

-18.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$17.6K €15.7K

-28.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 $76.8

$104 €92.3

-26.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$90.2 $90.2

$46.20 €41.09

95.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 $129

$99.7 €88.7

29.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$125 €111

7.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,589 €1,414

56.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,169 €1,040

88.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,056 $4,056

$2,851 €2,536

42.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,027 $4,027

$1,993 €1,773

102.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,909 $7,909

$7,793 €6,932

1.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,838 $5,838

$4,418 €3,930

32.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,771 $4,771

$1,600 €1,423

198.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

3.85

71.95%

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

Last update for Monterey, CA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterey, CA

$2.2K 61%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 47% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterey, CA

$385 10.6%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 44.1% $170

Groceries & Markets

Monterey, CA

$335 9.3%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 18.6% $62

Eating Out

Monterey, CA

$320 8.8%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 22.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Monterey, CA

$194 5.4%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 13% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Monterey, CA

$110 3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 40.3% $44

Getting Around

Monterey, CA

$67 1.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 6.4% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,490 in Monterey, CA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterey, CA pays 198% 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 Monterey, CA vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monterey, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

14:56 2:56 PM

8 h ahead of Monterey, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,803

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

Monterey, CA Lisbon 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterey, 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

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

Monterey, CA and Lisbon differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($3,616 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 198% higher in Monterey, CA, 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: $2,490 in Monterey, CA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Monterey, CA 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 23% higher in Monterey, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $3,616 in Monterey, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Monterey, 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, Monterey, 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 64% less than in Monterey, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.