Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Brunswick, NJ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,641 in North Brunswick, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in North Brunswick, NJ
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North Brunswick, NJ Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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North Brunswick, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,641

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,641 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

North Brunswick, NJ $2,641
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,632 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

North Brunswick, NJ $3,632
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,623 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

North Brunswick, NJ $4,623
Lisbon $4,346

Living in North Brunswick, NJ is roughly 20% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: North Brunswick, NJ 95% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.38 $20.38

$17.04 €15.15

19.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$62.3 €55.4

-3.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.05 $12.05

$11.02 €9.80

9.35%

Cappuccino

$3.04 $3.04

$3.12 €2.78

-2.56%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$2.27 €2.02

18.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.74 €1.55

-32.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 $6.64

$3.42 €3.04

94.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.74 €3.33

58.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.17 €1.04

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.86 €1.66

-13.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$1.54 €1.37

264.94%

Eggs

$4.59 $4.59

$4.06 €3.61

13.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.21 $13.21

$12.91 €11.49

2.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$7.90 €7.03

117.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$17.64 €15.69

-9.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.26 €2.01

75.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.75 €1.55

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.89 €1.68

125.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$2.56 €2.27

135.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$1.85 €1.64

74.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.97 €1.75

71.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.45 €1.29

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.77 €0.69

164.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.66 $14.66

$6.71 €5.97

118.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.04 $18.04

$5.67 €5.04

218.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.37 €1.22

89.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.11 €1.88

94.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.32 €2.07

-14.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.95 €3.51

-28.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.67 $3.67

$1.05 €0.93

249.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.62 $49.62

$17.15 €15.26

189.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.19 €1.95

-54.79%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$33.8K €30.0K

-18.92%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$38.3K €34.0K

-30.79%

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

$127 $127

$164 €146

-22.50%

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

$47.32 $47.32

$18.48 €16.43

156.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 $56.7

$32.96 €29.32

72.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.51 $47.51

$45.87 €40.80

3.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$13.03 $13.03

$9.75 €8.67

33.64%

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

$1,418 $1,418

$684 €608

107.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$17.6K €15.7K

32.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 $54.1

$104 €92.3

-47.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 $50.5

$46.20 €41.09

9.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$99.7 €88.7

22.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$125 €111

5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 $1,430

$1,589 €1,414

-9.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 $1,423

$1,169 €1,040

21.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,221 $2,221

$2,851 €2,536

-22.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,902 $1,902

$1,993 €1,773

-4.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,715 $2,715

$7,793 €6,932

-65.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,046 $2,046

$4,418 €3,930

-53.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.01

3.85

82.08%

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

Last update for North Brunswick, NJ: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Brunswick, NJ

$1.4K 53.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 17.9% $254

Groceries & Markets

North Brunswick, NJ

$427 16.2%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 36.1% $154

Eating Out

North Brunswick, NJ

$296 11.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 16.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Brunswick, NJ

$231 8.8%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 6.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

North Brunswick, NJ

$161 6.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 4.4% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

North Brunswick, NJ

$74 2.8%

Lisbon

$65 3% 11.1% $8.2

Getting Around

North Brunswick, NJ

$29 * 1.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 116% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in North Brunswick, NJ and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in North Brunswick, NJ vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $427 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North Brunswick, NJ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

04:09 4:09 AM

5 h ahead of North Brunswick, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,905

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

North Brunswick, NJ Lisbon 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

North Brunswick, NJ
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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

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

North Brunswick, NJ and Lisbon differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,641 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,962 in North Brunswick, NJ and $3,302 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,430 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in North Brunswick, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,641 per month in North Brunswick, NJ versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,641 in North Brunswick, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in North Brunswick, NJ. 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, North Brunswick, NJ 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 20% less than in North Brunswick, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.