Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mountain View, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $4,650 in Mountain View, CA, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

227

Cost of Living Index in Mountain View, CA
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Mountain View, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mountain View, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,650

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,650 in Mountain View, CA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Mountain View, CA $4,650
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,615 in Mountain View, CA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Mountain View, CA $6,615
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,580 in Mountain View, CA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Mountain View, CA $8,580
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Mountain View, CA is roughly 110% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mountain View, CA 242% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.34 $20.34

$16.65 €14.91

22.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.7 €55.3

63.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 $11.96

$11.36 €10.17

5.28%

Cappuccino

$5.21 $5.21

$2.97 €2.66

75.42%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.29 €2.05

19.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.74 €1.56

56.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.15 $7.15

$3.40 €3.05

110.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.99 $9.99

$3.31 €2.96

201.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.16 €1.04

9.48%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.91 €1.71

118.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.51 €1.35

209.93%

Eggs

$5.52 $5.52

$4.02 €3.60

37.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.21 $16.21

$12.94 €11.59

25.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.71 $11.71

$7.77 €6.96

50.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$17.76 €15.91

-27.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.30 €2.06

134.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.73 €1.55

8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.86 €1.66

138.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.69 $5.69

$2.59 €2.32

119.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.82 €1.63

116.48%

Onion (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$1.97 €1.76

186.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.47 €1.32

65.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$0.72 €0.65

263.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.63 $11.63

$6.58 €5.90

76.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 $12.92

$5.61 €5.02

130.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.36 €1.22

58.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.14 €1.91

14.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.33 €2.09

6.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 $88.6

$44.68 €40.01

98.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.85 €3.45

1.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.07 €0.96

355.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.20 €1.97

-28.64%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.2K €30.6K

-20.33%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$38.7K €34.7K

-32.10%

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

$288 $288

$161 €144

78.90%

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

$44.81 $44.81

$18.41 €16.49

143.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 $63.9

$32.74 €29.32

95.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.6 $78.6

$44.55 €39.90

76.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 $11.81

$19.10 €17.10

-38.17%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 $17.10

$9.60 €8.60

78.13%

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

$2,141 $2,141

$668 €598

220.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

34.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$102 €91.4

-48.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$99.5 $99.5

$44.46 €39.82

123.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 $151

$98.5 €88.2

53.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$124 €111

20.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,529 $3,529

$1,608 €1,440

119.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 $3,039

$1,190 €1,066

155.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,702 $4,702

$2,812 €2,519

67.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,009 $5,009

$2,013 €1,803

148.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K $11.9K

$7,839 €7,021

52.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.1K $10.1K

$4,576 €4,098

120.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,788 $9,788

$1,575 €1,411

521.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

3.85

59.48%

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

Last update for Mountain View, CA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mountain View, CA

$3K 65.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 60.8% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Mountain View, CA

$432 9.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 36.9% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mountain View, CA

$397 8.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 46.5% $185

Eating Out

Mountain View, CA

$339 7.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 28.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Mountain View, CA

$203 4.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 18.4% $37

Getting Around

Mountain View, CA

$127 2.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 50.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Mountain View, CA

$113 2.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 43.5% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,529 in Mountain View, CA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mountain View, CA pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Mountain View, CA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $432 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mountain View, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

23:22 11:22 PM

8 h ahead of Mountain View, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,739

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mountain View, CA Lisbon 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mountain View, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,650 in Mountain View, CA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mountain View, CA is about 6.2 times higher, 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: $3,529 in Mountain View, CA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,141 in Mountain View, CA versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Mountain View, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $4,650 in Mountain View, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Mountain View, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mountain View, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mountain View, CA and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Mountain View, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.