Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Norfolk, VA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,428 in Norfolk, VA, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Norfolk, VA despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Norfolk, VA
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Norfolk, VA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Norfolk, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,428

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,428 in Norfolk, VA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Norfolk, VA $2,428
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,629 in Norfolk, VA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Norfolk, VA $3,629
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,829 in Norfolk, VA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Norfolk, VA $4,829
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Norfolk, VA is roughly 9% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Norfolk, VA 80% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.58 $18.58

$16.50 €14.67

12.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 $91.0

$61.3 €54.5

48.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.54 $11.54

$11.27 €10.03

2.40%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.06 €2.72

92.81%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$2.26 €2.01

23.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.73 €1.54

20.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.39 €3.02

81.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.40 €3.02

108.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.12 €1.00

-11.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.86 €1.65

112.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$1.53 €1.36

259.48%

Eggs

$4.76 $4.76

$3.96 €3.53

20.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.65 $15.65

$12.76 €11.35

22.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 $9.74

$7.90 €7.02

23.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.97 $17.97

$16.97 €15.09

5.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.27 €2.02

113.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.75 €1.55

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.85 €1.64

168.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.57 €2.28

121.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.86 €1.65

20.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.02 €1.80

78.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.44 €1.28

29.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.82 €0.73

159.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.25 $9.25

$6.56 €5.83

41.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$5.62 €5.00

172.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.28 €1.14

39.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.07 €1.84

32.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.35 €2.09

-16.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$44.18 €39.30

134.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.66 $4.66

$3.99 €3.55

16.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.09 €0.97

22.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.09 $18.09

$16.64 €14.81

8.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.28 €2.03

-56.58%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

4.28%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$39.3K €35.0K

-35.02%

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

$213 $213

$167 €149

27.33%

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

$56.2 $56.2

$18.80 €16.72

198.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 $67.0

$33.09 €29.43

102.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 $40.15

$46.01 €40.93

-12.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$19.19 €17.07

-7.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 $11.77

$9.84 €8.75

19.61%

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

$1,480 $1,480

$677 €602

118.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K $15.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

-5.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 $54.1

$101 €90.1

-46.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.10 $48.10

$45.76 €40.70

5.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 $92.3

$100.0 €88.9

-7.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$123 €109

-1.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 $1,233

$1,614 €1,436

-23.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,032 $1,032

$1,197 €1,065

-13.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,158 $2,158

$2,862 €2,545

-24.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 $1,684

$1,990 €1,770

-15.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,458 $2,458

$7,577 €6,740

-67.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,304 $2,304

$4,307 €3,831

-46.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,423 $3,423

$1,588 €1,412

115.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

3.85

70.65%

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

Last update for Norfolk, VA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Norfolk, VA

$1K 42.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 16% $165

Groceries & Markets

Norfolk, VA

$412 17%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 34.6% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Norfolk, VA

$336 13.9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 34.8% $117

Eating Out

Norfolk, VA

$319 13.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 24% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Norfolk, VA

$142 5.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 17.3% $25

Getting Around

Norfolk, VA

$123 5.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 48.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Norfolk, VA

$64 2.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 3.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,233 in Norfolk, VA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Norfolk, VA pays 116% 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: $91.0 in Norfolk, VA vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Norfolk, VA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

5 h ahead of Norfolk, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,803

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

Norfolk, VA Lisbon 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Norfolk, VA
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

Norfolk, VA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Norfolk, VA and Lisbon differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,428 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 116% higher in Norfolk, VA, 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: $1,233 in Norfolk, VA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,480 in Norfolk, VA 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 53% higher in Norfolk, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,428 in Norfolk, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Norfolk, VA. 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, Norfolk, VA 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 9% less than in Norfolk, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.