Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ontario, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,259 in Ontario, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Ontario, CA
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Ontario, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ontario, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,259

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,259 in Ontario, CA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Ontario, CA $3,259
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,446 in Ontario, CA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Ontario, CA $4,446
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,634 in Ontario, CA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Ontario, CA $5,634
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Ontario, CA is roughly 47% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ontario, CA 139% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$16.65 €14.85

21.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$61.7 €55.1

23.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.80 $14.80

$11.36 €10.13

30.28%

Cappuccino

$5.86 $5.86

$2.97 €2.65

97.31%

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

$3.19 $3.19

$2.29 €2.04

39.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.74 €1.55

35.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.40 €3.04

108.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.62 $9.62

$3.31 €2.95

190.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.16 €1.03

-6.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.91 €1.71

115.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.51 €1.35

211.26%

Eggs

$4.73 $4.73

$4.02 €3.59

17.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$12.94 €11.54

1.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 $8.78

$7.77 €6.94

13.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 $15.36

$17.76 €15.85

-13.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.30 €2.06

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.73 €1.55

-1.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.86 €1.66

119.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.59 €2.31

110.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.82 €1.62

97.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.97 €1.76

14.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.47 €1.31

34.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.72 €0.65

168.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.01 $12.01

$6.58 €5.87

82.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$5.61 €5.00

167.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.36 €1.22

40.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.14 €1.91

100.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.33 €2.08

-15.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.16 $45.16

$44.68 €39.86

1.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.38 $6.38

$3.85 €3.43

65.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.20 €1.96

-34.09%

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

$29.0K $29.0K

$34.2K €30.5K

-15.09%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$38.7K €34.5K

-30.30%

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

$216 $216

$161 €144

33.93%

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

$68.6 $68.6

$18.41 €16.43

272.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.4 $63.4

$32.74 €29.21

93.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.73 $47.73

$44.55 €39.74

7.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.40 $29.40

$19.10 €17.04

53.93%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 $17.76

$9.60 €8.56

85.00%

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

$1,169 $1,169

$668 €596

75.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 $58.5

$102 €91.0

-42.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.06 $40.06

$44.46 €39.67

-9.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 $93.6

$98.5 €87.9

-4.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$124 €110

-15.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 $1,829

$1,608 €1,435

13.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,891 $1,891

$1,190 €1,062

58.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,154 $3,154

$2,812 €2,509

12.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,621 $2,621

$2,013 €1,796

30.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,369 $4,369

$7,839 €6,994

-44.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,557 $3,557

$4,576 €4,082

-22.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,635 $3,635

$1,575 €1,405

130.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

3.85

65.97%

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

Last update for Ontario, CA: 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

Ontario, CA

$1.9K 58%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 37.1% $700

Groceries & Markets

Ontario, CA

$391 12%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 30.3% $118

Eating Out

Ontario, CA

$353 10.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 31.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ontario, CA

$348 10.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 39% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Ontario, CA

$133 4.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 24.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ontario, CA

$83 2.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 23.4% $19

Getting Around

Ontario, CA

$59 * 1.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 6.3% $3.7

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 $1,829 in Ontario, CA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $76 in Ontario, CA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ontario, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:13 8:13 AM

16:13 4:13 PM

8 h ahead of Ontario, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

185,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ontario, CA Lisbon 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ontario, CA
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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

Ontario, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,259 in Ontario, CA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ontario, CA 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: $1,829 in Ontario, CA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $3,259 per month in Ontario, CA versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,259 in Ontario, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Ontario, CA. 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.

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