Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $32,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,950 in New York, NY versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

New York, NY $4,950
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,265 in New York, NY versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

New York, NY $7,265
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,581 in New York, NY versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

New York, NY $9,581
Lisbon $4,319

Living in New York, NY is roughly 123% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 267% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.65 $24.65

$16.50 €14.67

49.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$61.3 €54.5

98.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$11.27 €10.03

23.43%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$3.06 €2.72

115.36%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$2.26 €2.01

69.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.73 €1.54

65.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$3.39 €3.02

129.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.40 €3.02

189.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.12 €1.00

23.21%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.86 €1.65

151.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.53 €1.36

392.81%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$3.96 €3.53

49.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$12.76 €11.35

47.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$7.90 €7.02

119.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.51 $18.51

$16.97 €15.09

9.07%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.27 €2.02

196.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.75 €1.55

19.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$1.85 €1.64

228.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.57 €2.28

162.26%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.86 €1.65

117.74%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.02 €1.80

116.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.44 €1.28

100.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$0.82 €0.73

217.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.72 $18.72

$6.56 €5.83

185.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.06 $20.06

$5.62 €5.00

256.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.28 €1.14

153.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.07 €1.84

80.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.35 €2.09

30.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$44.18 €39.30

217.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.99 €3.55

-23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.09 €0.97

97.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

$16.64 €14.81

151.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.28 €2.03

-50.88%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

5.28%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-33.73%

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

$219 $219

$167 €149

30.76%

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

$73.2 $73.2

$18.80 €16.72

289.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

$33.09 €29.43

117.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$46.01 €40.93

166.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

$19.19 €17.07

252.63%

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 $22.85

$9.84 €8.75

132.22%

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

$3,333 $3,333

$677 €602

392.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

254.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$101 €90.1

-25.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$45.76 €40.70

14.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$100.0 €88.9

21.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$123 €109

8.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 $4,389

$1,614 €1,436

171.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,130 $3,130

$1,197 €1,065

161.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,918 $8,918

$2,862 €2,545

211.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,354 $5,354

$1,990 €1,770

169.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$7,577 €6,740

156.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

$4,307 €3,831

58.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

$1,588 €1,412

236.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

3.85

77.14%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 61.8% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$545 11%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 50.6% $276

Eating Out

New York, NY

$404 8.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 40% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 39.8% $145

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 3.3% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 61% $103

Getting Around

New York, NY

$167 3.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 62.2% $104

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,389 in New York, NY and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 236% 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: $122 in New York, NY vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $545 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

04:25 4:25 AM

5 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

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

New York, NY Lisbon 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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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

New York, NY vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY and Lisbon differ by about 123% in total monthly costs ($4,950 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 236% higher in New York, NY, 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: $4,389 in New York, NY versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,333 in New York, NY versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 102% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $4,950 in New York, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. 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 York, NY 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 123% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.