Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Haven, CT and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,467 in New Haven, CT, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in New Haven, CT
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New Haven, CT Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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New Haven, CT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,467

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,467 in New Haven, CT versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

New Haven, CT $2,467
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,066 in New Haven, CT versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

New Haven, CT $4,066
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,665 in New Haven, CT versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

New Haven, CT $5,665
Lisbon $4,346

Living in New Haven, CT is roughly 12% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Haven, CT 82% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$17.04 €15.15

16.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 $75.9

$62.3 €55.4

21.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.98 $12.98

$11.02 €9.80

17.79%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$3.12 €2.78

63.46%

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

$2.13 $2.13

$2.27 €2.02

-6.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.74 €1.55

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.42 €3.04

72.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.89 $7.89

$3.74 €3.33

110.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.17 €1.04

-10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.86 €1.66

136.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.39 $7.39

$1.54 €1.37

379.87%

Eggs

$5.81 $5.81

$4.06 €3.61

43.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.68 $10.68

$12.91 €11.49

-17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$7.90 €7.03

32.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$17.64 €15.69

-3.12%

Apples (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$2.26 €2.01

136.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.75 €1.55

-1.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.89 €1.68

76.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.56 €2.27

19.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.85 €1.64

16.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.97 €1.75

24.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.45 €1.29

87.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$0.77 €0.69

268.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.87 $11.87

$6.71 €5.97

76.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.13 $17.13

$5.67 €5.04

202.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.37 €1.22

27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.11 €1.88

32.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.32 €2.07

-25.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.0 $63.0

$44.43 €39.52

41.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.95 €3.51

-25.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.05 €0.93

92.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.21 $24.21

$17.15 €15.26

41.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.19 €1.95

-50.23%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$33.8K €30.0K

-18.59%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-32.21%

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

$176 $176

$164 €146

7.31%

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

$36.44 $36.44

$18.48 €16.43

97.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 $57.6

$32.96 €29.32

74.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.68 $31.68

$45.87 €40.80

-30.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 $12.68

$9.75 €8.67

30.05%

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

$2,177 $2,177

$684 €608

218.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$17.6K €15.7K

36.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.10 $38.10

$104 €92.3

-63.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.58 $16.58

$46.20 €41.09

-64.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 $76.6

$99.7 €88.7

-23.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$125 €111

27.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 $1,844

$1,589 €1,414

16.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 $1,195

$1,169 €1,040

2.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,141 $4,141

$2,851 €2,536

45.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 $2,825

$1,993 €1,773

41.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,021 $3,021

$7,793 €6,932

-61.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,657 $2,657

$4,418 €3,930

-39.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,102 $4,102

$1,600 €1,423

156.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

3.85

69.09%

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

Last update for New Haven, CT: 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

New Haven, CT

$1.2K 48.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 2.1% $26

Groceries & Markets

New Haven, CT

$413 16.8%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 34% $140

Eating Out

New Haven, CT

$319 12.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 22.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Haven, CT

$270 10.9%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 20.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

New Haven, CT

$131 5.3%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 29% $38

Getting Around

New Haven, CT

$83 3.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 24.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

New Haven, CT

$57 2.3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 14.6% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,844 in New Haven, CT and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Haven, CT pays 156% 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: $76.0 in New Haven, CT vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Haven, CT

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

5 h ahead of New Haven, CT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,001

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

New Haven, CT Lisbon 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

New Haven, CT
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

New Haven, CT vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Haven, CT and Lisbon differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($2,467 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 156% higher in New Haven, CT, 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: $1,844 in New Haven, CT versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,177 in New Haven, CT 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 51% higher in New Haven, CT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,467 in New Haven, CT, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in New Haven, CT. 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, New Haven, CT 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 12% less than in New Haven, CT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.