Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newark, NJ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,865 in Newark, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Newark, NJ
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Newark, NJ Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Newark, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,865 in Newark, NJ versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Newark, NJ $2,865
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,206 in Newark, NJ versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Newark, NJ $4,206
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,546 in Newark, NJ versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Newark, NJ $5,546
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Newark, NJ is roughly 30% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Newark, NJ 112% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 $20.32

$16.86 €14.98

20.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$61.0 €54.2

66.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.46 $14.46

$10.98 €9.75

31.69%

Cappuccino

$6.68 $6.68

$3.05 €2.71

119.02%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.28 €2.03

69.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.68 €1.49

46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.44 €3.05

128.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$3.91 €3.47

153.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.15 €1.02

19.13%

White Bread (500g)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.89 €1.68

143.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.73 $7.73

$1.50 €1.33

415.33%

Eggs

$6.00 $6.00

$4.12 €3.66

45.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$13.01 €11.55

-45.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.01 $18.01

$8.04 €7.15

124.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 $20.84

$17.89 €15.89

16.49%

Apples (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$2.27 €2.02

211.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.74 €1.55

31.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$1.82 €1.62

273.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.69 €2.39

150.56%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.77 €1.57

160.45%

Onion (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.94 €1.72

150.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.46 €1.30

105.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.76 €0.68

259.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 $11.46

$6.66 €5.91

72.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.68 $19.68

$5.64 €5.01

248.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.29 €1.15

48.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.14 €1.90

30.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.30 €2.04

-16.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 $72.0

$44.02 €39.10

63.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.98 €3.54

-22.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.64 €0.57

245.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.70 $38.70

$18.93 €16.81

104.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.28 €2.02

-52.63%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.4K €29.6K

-16.34%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$38.5K €34.2K

-33.14%

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

$217 $217

$158 €141

37.21%

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

$71.6 $71.6

$17.54 €15.58

308.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$31.18 €27.70

125.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.28 $15.28

$44.64 €39.66

-65.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 $17.46

$18.98 €16.86

-8.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.59 $14.59

$9.58 €8.51

52.30%

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

$2,155 $2,155

$674 €598

219.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.9K $33.9K

$18.7K €16.6K

81.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 $59.3

$102 €90.8

-42.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.50 $27.50

$45.90 €40.77

-40.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$102 €90.8

17.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$122 €108

12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,489 $2,489

$1,641 €1,457

51.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$1,187 €1,055

11.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,273 $3,273

$2,825 €2,509

15.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 $2,028

$2,018 €1,793

0.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$7,836 €6,960

-46.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,612 $3,612

$4,701 €4,176

-23.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,912 $3,912

$1,687 €1,499

131.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

3.82

74.87%

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

Last update for Newark, NJ: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newark, NJ

$1.3K 46.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 10.1% $134

Groceries & Markets

Newark, NJ

$521 18.2%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 47.3% $247

Eating Out

Newark, NJ

$371 12.9%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 33.8% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newark, NJ

$359 12.5%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 42.3% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Newark, NJ

$155 5.4%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 8.3% $13

Getting Around

Newark, NJ

$94 3.3%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 35.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Newark, NJ

$44 1.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 43.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,489 in Newark, NJ and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newark, NJ pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $102 in Newark, NJ vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $521 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newark, NJ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

5 h ahead of Newark, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

311,549

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Newark, NJ Lisbon 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Newark, NJ
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

Newark, NJ vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,865 in Newark, NJ and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Newark, NJ is about 2.3 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: $2,489 in Newark, NJ versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,155 in Newark, NJ versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Newark, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Newark, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.