Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Normal, IL and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,272 in Normal, IL, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. The total is higher in Normal, IL despite lower rent and utilities.

110

Cost of Living Index in Normal, IL
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Normal, IL Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Normal, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,272

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,272 in Normal, IL versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Normal, IL $2,272
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,329 in Normal, IL versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Normal, IL $3,329
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,386 in Normal, IL versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Normal, IL $4,386
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Normal, IL is roughly 3% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Normal, IL 67% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 $11.32

$16.65 €14.87

-32.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.63 $49.63

$61.7 €55.2

-19.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$11.36 €10.14

-13.47%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$2.97 €2.65

69.02%

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

$3.42 $3.42

$2.29 €2.04

49.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.74 €1.56

-13.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.40 €3.04

49.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 $5.83

$3.31 €2.96

76.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.16 €1.03

-36.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.91 €1.71

37.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.51 €1.35

117.88%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$4.02 €3.59

-6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.90 $8.90

$12.94 €11.56

-31.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$7.77 €6.94

64.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.79 $18.79

$17.76 €15.86

5.80%

Apples (1kg)

$6.64 $6.64

$2.30 €2.06

188.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.73 €1.55

-28.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$1.86 €1.66

258.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.59 €2.31

94.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.82 €1.63

78.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.97 €1.76

62.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.47 €1.31

35.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.72 €0.65

219.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.32 $11.32

$6.58 €5.88

72.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 $10.99

$5.61 €5.01

95.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.36 €1.22

40.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.14 €1.91

41.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.33 €2.08

8.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 $91.1

$44.68 €39.91

103.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.85 €3.44

44.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.07 €0.96

-3.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.02 $18.02

$16.46 €14.70

9.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.20 €1.97

-59.55%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.2K €30.5K

-18.49%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.7K €34.6K

-31.87%

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

$273 $273

$161 €144

69.36%

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

$97.9 $97.9

$18.41 €16.44

431.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.6 $64.6

$32.74 €29.24

97.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.33 $39.33

$44.55 €39.79

-11.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

Cinema Ticket

$11.76 $11.76

$9.60 €8.57

22.50%

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

$1,061 $1,061

$668 €596

58.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.92 $29.92

$102 €91.1

-70.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.57 $40.57

$44.46 €39.72

-8.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.5 $66.5

$98.5 €88.0

-32.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$124 €110

21.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$974 $974

$1,608 €1,437

-39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 $905

$1,190 €1,063

-23.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$2,812 €2,512

-35.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 $1,587

$2,013 €1,798

-21.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,690 $9,690

$7,839 €7,002

23.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,164 $4,164

$1,575 €1,407

164.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.85

70.13%

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

Last update for Normal, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Normal, IL

$905 39.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 31.5% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Normal, IL

$436 19.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 51.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

Normal, IL

$390 17.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 30.2% $118

Eating Out

Normal, IL

$237 10.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 2.3% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Normal, IL

$129 5.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 28.4% $37

Getting Around

Normal, IL

$112 4.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 43.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Normal, IL

$63 2.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 1.4% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $974 in Normal, IL and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Normal, IL pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Normal, IL vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $390 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Normal, IL

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

00:41 12:41 AM

6 h ahead of Normal, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,497

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

Normal, IL Lisbon 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Normal, IL
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

Normal, IL vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,272 in Normal, IL and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Normal, IL is about 2.6 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: $974 in Normal, IL versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,061 in Normal, IL versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Normal, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Normal, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.