Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Orleans, LA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,203 a month against $2,732 in New Orleans, LA, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in New Orleans, LA
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New Orleans, LA Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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New Orleans, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,732

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,732 in New Orleans, LA versus $2,203 in Lisbon.

New Orleans, LA $2,732
Lisbon $2,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,119 in New Orleans, LA versus $3,237 in Lisbon.

New Orleans, LA $4,119
Lisbon $3,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,506 in New Orleans, LA versus $4,272 in Lisbon.

New Orleans, LA $5,506
Lisbon $4,272

Living in New Orleans, LA is roughly 24% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Orleans, LA 104% above, Lisbon 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.24 $26.24

$17.01 €15.18

54.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$128 $128

$62.7 €56.0

104.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$11.42 €10.19

5.34%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$3.09 €2.76

80.26%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$2.37 €2.11

25.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.66 €1.48

28.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.46 €3.09

72.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$3.29 €2.93

140.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.17 €1.04

18.80%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.87 €1.66

119.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$1.52 €1.36

294.08%

Eggs

$5.48 $5.48

$3.88 €3.46

41.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.49 $15.49

$12.87 €11.49

20.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.10 $10.10

$7.94 €7.08

27.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 $15.79

$17.63 €15.73

-10.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.26 €2.01

131.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.76 €1.57

-5.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$1.88 €1.68

188.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$2.47 €2.20

131.58%

Potato (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.86 €1.66

130.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.07 €1.85

58.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.39 €1.24

57.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.81 €0.73

218.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.87 $8.87

$6.89 €6.15

28.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.60 $16.60

$5.53 €4.93

200.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.33 €1.19

84.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.17 €1.93

81.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.24 €2.00

-43.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.68 $49.68

$45.14 €40.29

10.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$4.00 €3.57

-13.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.07 €0.95

42.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.44 $34.44

$16.53 €14.75

108.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.26 €2.02

-58.85%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$33.5K €29.9K

8.05%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$40.5K €36.1K

-36.66%

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

$262 $262

$164 €146

60.36%

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

$70.5 $70.5

$18.54 €16.55

280.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$33.21 €29.64

123.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$46.01 €41.06

9.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.64 $43.64

$18.80 €16.78

132.13%

Cinema Ticket

$12.69 $12.69

$9.47 €8.45

34.00%

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

$1,576 $1,576

$690 €615

128.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K $10.2K

$16.9K €15.0K

-39.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 $56.6

$105 €93.4

-45.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 $43.27

$45.27 €40.40

-4.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$99.0 €88.3

-12.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$124 €111

-3.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 $1,827

$1,583 €1,413

15.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 $1,206

$1,209 €1,079

-0.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,113 $3,113

$2,833 €2,528

9.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,030 $2,030

$1,964 €1,753

3.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,207 $5,207

$7,643 €6,821

-31.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 $1,378

$4,431 €3,954

-68.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,101 $4,101

$1,573 €1,403

160.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

3.79

75.73%

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

Last update for New Orleans, LA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Orleans, LA

$1.2K 44.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 54% 0.3% $3.4

Groceries & Markets

New Orleans, LA

$444 16.4%

Lisbon

$272 12.1% 38.8% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Orleans, LA

$407 15%

Lisbon

$215 9.6% 47.1% $192

Eating Out

New Orleans, LA

$379 14%

Lisbon

$247 11% 34.7% $132

Clothing & Footwear

New Orleans, LA

$138 5.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.5% 21.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

New Orleans, LA

$76 2.8%

Lisbon

$65 2.9% 14.2% $11

Getting Around

New Orleans, LA

$66 2.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 3.7% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,827 in New Orleans, LA and $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Orleans, LA pays 161% 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: $128 in New Orleans, LA vs $63.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $444 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Orleans, LA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

6 h ahead of New Orleans, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

391,006

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

New Orleans, LA Lisbon 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

New Orleans, LA
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 Orleans, LA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Orleans, LA and Lisbon differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,732 vs $2,203 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 161% higher in New Orleans, LA, 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: $1,827 in New Orleans, LA versus $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,576 in New Orleans, LA versus $690 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in New Orleans, LA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,203 in Lisbon versus $2,732 in New Orleans, LA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in New Orleans, LA. 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 Orleans, LA 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 24% less than in New Orleans, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.