Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paterson, NJ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,743 in Paterson, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Paterson, NJ
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Paterson, NJ Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Paterson, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,743

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,743 in Paterson, NJ versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Paterson, NJ $2,743
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,154 in Paterson, NJ versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Paterson, NJ $4,154
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,565 in Paterson, NJ versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Paterson, NJ $5,565
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Paterson, NJ is roughly 23% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paterson, NJ 103% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.81 $18.81

$16.50 €14.67

14.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$61.3 €54.5

29.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.90 $13.90

$11.27 €10.03

23.34%

Cappuccino

$6.31 $6.31

$3.06 €2.72

106.21%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$2.26 €2.01

24.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.73 €1.54

69.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.60 $8.60

$3.39 €3.02

153.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$3.40 €3.02

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.12 €1.00

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.86 €1.65

143.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$1.53 €1.36

289.54%

Eggs

$5.98 $5.98

$3.96 €3.53

51.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.00 $14.00

$12.76 €11.35

9.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.39 $10.39

$7.90 €7.02

31.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.68 $18.68

$16.97 €15.09

10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$2.27 €2.02

159.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.75 €1.55

24.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.85 €1.64

135.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$2.57 €2.28

111.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.86 €1.65

66.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.02 €1.80

50.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.44 €1.28

94.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.82 €0.73

213.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.67 $17.67

$6.56 €5.83

169.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$5.62 €5.00

171.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.28 €1.14

45.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.07 €1.84

73.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.99 €3.55

-27.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.09 €0.97

97.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.52 $42.52

$16.64 €14.81

155.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.28 €2.03

-49.56%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

7.22%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-36.93%

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

$172 $172

$167 €149

2.73%

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

$51.8 $51.8

$18.80 €16.72

175.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.34 $49.34

$33.09 €29.43

49.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$20.15 $20.15

$9.84 €8.75

104.78%

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

$1,984 $1,984

$677 €602

192.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K $16.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-5.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.02 $49.02

$101 €90.1

-51.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 $52.5

$45.76 €40.70

14.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$100.0 €88.9

11.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$123 €109

-18.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,481 $2,481

$1,614 €1,436

53.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$1,197 €1,065

23.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 $3,436

$2,862 €2,545

20.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,706 $2,706

$1,990 €1,770

35.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,166 $3,166

$1,588 €1,412

99.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

3.85

76.62%

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

Last update for Paterson, NJ: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paterson, NJ

$1.5K 54%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 19.1% $283

Groceries & Markets

Paterson, NJ

$447 16.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 39.8% $178

Eating Out

Paterson, NJ

$347 12.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 30.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paterson, NJ

$273 10%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 19.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Paterson, NJ

$141 5.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 17.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Paterson, NJ

$40 * 1.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 63% $25

Getting Around

Paterson, NJ

$14 * 0.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 362% $49

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 $2,481 in Paterson, NJ and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paterson, NJ pays 99% 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: $79.0 in Paterson, NJ vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $447 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Paterson, NJ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

20:36 8:36 PM

5 h ahead of Paterson, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

147,000

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

Paterson, NJ Lisbon 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Paterson, NJ and Lisbon differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,743 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 99% higher in Paterson, NJ, 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: $2,481 in Paterson, NJ versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Paterson, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,743 per month in Paterson, NJ versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,743 in Paterson, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Paterson, 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, Paterson, 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 23% less than in Paterson, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.