Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterey Park, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,869 in Monterey Park, CA, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

139

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Monterey Park, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,869

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,869 in Monterey Park, CA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Monterey Park, CA $2,869
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,188 in Monterey Park, CA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Monterey Park, CA $4,188
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,507 in Monterey Park, CA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Monterey Park, CA $5,507
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Monterey Park, CA is roughly 30% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterey Park, CA 112% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.99 $25.99

$17.04 €15.15

52.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 $80.3

$62.3 €55.4

28.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.96 $14.96

$11.02 €9.80

35.75%

Cappuccino

$6.09 $6.09

$3.12 €2.78

95.19%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$2.27 €2.02

34.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.74 €1.55

52.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$3.42 €3.04

129.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.94 $9.94

$3.74 €3.33

165.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.17 €1.04

14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.86 €1.66

162.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.54 €1.37

206.49%

Eggs

$5.60 $5.60

$4.06 €3.61

37.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 $11.41

$12.91 €11.49

-11.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.91 $8.91

$7.90 €7.03

12.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.39 $19.39

$17.64 €15.69

9.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.26 €2.01

103.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.75 €1.55

27.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.89 €1.68

115.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.56 €2.27

119.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.85 €1.64

78.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.97 €1.75

46.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.45 €1.29

37.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.77 €0.69

216.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.80 $11.80

$6.71 €5.97

75.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$5.67 €5.04

160.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.37 €1.22

76.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.11 €1.88

27.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.32 €2.07

-3.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.95 €3.51

-23.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.05 €0.93

79.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.72 $32.72

$17.15 €15.26

90.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.19 €1.95

-31.96%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$33.8K €30.0K

-12.96%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.3K €34.0K

-31.99%

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

$269 $269

$164 €146

64.31%

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

$87.3 $87.3

$18.48 €16.43

372.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.1 $80.1

$32.96 €29.32

142.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.12 $42.12

$45.87 €40.80

-8.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$18.11 $18.11

$9.75 €8.67

85.74%

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

$1,202 $1,202

$684 €608

75.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.4K $32.4K

$17.6K €15.7K

83.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 $63.8

$104 €92.3

-38.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 $54.3

$46.20 €41.09

17.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$99.7 €88.7

20.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 $214

$125 €111

71.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$1,589 €1,414

0.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 $1,300

$1,169 €1,040

11.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,556 $2,556

$2,851 €2,536

-10.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 $2,133

$1,993 €1,773

7.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,371 $2,371

$7,793 €6,932

-69.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 $2,221

$4,418 €3,930

-49.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,585 $1,585

$1,600 €1,423

-0.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

3.85

63.90%

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

Last update for Monterey Park, 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

Monterey Park, CA

$1.3K 45.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 10.1% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterey Park, CA

$437 15.2%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 50.7% $221

Groceries & Markets

Monterey Park, CA

$421 14.7%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 35.2% $148

Eating Out

Monterey Park, CA

$408 14.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 39.3% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Monterey Park, CA

$203 7.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 17.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Monterey Park, CA

$78 2.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 16.6% $13

Getting Around

Monterey Park, CA

$21 * 0.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 195% $42

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 $1,602 in Monterey Park, CA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $80.0 in Monterey Park, CA vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monterey Park, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

15:24 3:24 PM

8 h ahead of Monterey Park, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,269

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

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Between locations

Monterey Park, CA Lisbon 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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

Monterey Park, CA and Lisbon differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,869 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,602 in Monterey Park, 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 54% higher in Monterey Park, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,869 per month in Monterey Park, CA versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,869 in Monterey Park, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Monterey Park, 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 Park, 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 30% less than in Monterey Park, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.