Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pittsburgh, PA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,525 in Pittsburgh, PA, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Pittsburgh, PA
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Pittsburgh, PA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Pittsburgh, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,525

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,525 in Pittsburgh, PA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Pittsburgh, PA $2,525
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,630 in Pittsburgh, PA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Pittsburgh, PA $3,630
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,736 in Pittsburgh, PA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Pittsburgh, PA $4,736
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Pittsburgh, PA is roughly 14% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pittsburgh, PA 87% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.71 $19.71

$16.50 €14.67

19.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 $60.1

$61.3 €54.5

-1.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.81 $9.81

$11.27 €10.02

-12.95%

Cappuccino

$4.84 $4.84

$3.06 €2.72

58.17%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.26 €2.01

16.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.73 €1.54

24.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 $6.59

$3.39 €3.02

94.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.40 €3.02

140.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.12 €1.00

8.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.86 €1.65

101.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.53 €1.36

216.34%

Eggs

$4.84 $4.84

$3.96 €3.53

22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$12.76 €11.35

15.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.62 $12.62

$7.90 €7.02

59.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 $17.43

$16.97 €15.09

2.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.27 €2.02

126.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.75 €1.55

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.85 €1.64

118.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.57 €2.28

114.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.86 €1.65

27.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.02 €1.80

24.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.44 €1.28

65.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.82 €0.73

142.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 $10.98

$6.56 €5.83

67.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.76 $12.76

$5.62 €5.00

127.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.28 €1.14

61.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.07 €1.84

91.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.35 €2.09

19.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.3 $98.3

$44.18 €39.29

122.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.99 €3.55

-0.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.09 €0.97

40.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.78 $20.78

$16.64 €14.80

24.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.28 €2.03

-53.07%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

10.12%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$39.3K €34.9K

-34.63%

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

$252 $252

$167 €149

50.22%

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

$53.5 $53.5

$18.80 €16.72

184.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$33.09 €29.43

107.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.26 $44.26

$46.01 €40.92

-3.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.52 $28.52

$19.19 €17.07

48.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 $11.83

$9.84 €8.75

20.22%

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

$1,752 $1,752

$677 €602

158.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.6K $34.6K

$16.9K €15.0K

104.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.08 $46.08

$101 €90.0

-54.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 $47.74

$45.76 €40.70

4.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 $72.9

$100.0 €88.9

-27.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$123 €109

-17.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 $1,587

$1,614 €1,435

-1.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 $1,112

$1,197 €1,065

-7.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,442 $2,442

$2,862 €2,545

-14.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 $1,736

$1,990 €1,770

-12.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,169 $3,169

$7,577 €6,739

-58.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,023 $2,023

$4,307 €3,831

-53.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,361 $4,361

$1,588 €1,412

174.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

3.85

69.35%

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

Last update for Pittsburgh, PA: 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

Pittsburgh, PA

$1.1K 44.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 7.6% $85

Groceries & Markets

Pittsburgh, PA

$416 16.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 35.2% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pittsburgh, PA

$374 14.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 41.3% $154

Eating Out

Pittsburgh, PA

$314 12.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 22.8% $71

Getting Around

Pittsburgh, PA

$121 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 48% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Pittsburgh, PA

$121 4.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 37.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Pittsburgh, PA

$68 2.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 3.3% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,587 in Pittsburgh, PA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pittsburgh, PA pays 175% 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: $60.0 in Pittsburgh, PA vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $416 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Pittsburgh, PA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

5 h ahead of Pittsburgh, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

311,647

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Pittsburgh, PA Lisbon 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Pittsburgh, PA
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

Pittsburgh, PA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pittsburgh, PA and Lisbon differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,525 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 175% higher in Pittsburgh, PA, 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: $1,587 in Pittsburgh, PA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,752 in Pittsburgh, PA 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 54% higher in Pittsburgh, PA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,525 in Pittsburgh, PA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Pittsburgh, PA. 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, Pittsburgh, PA 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 14% less than in Pittsburgh, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.