Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading, PA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,611 in Reading, PA, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

126

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Reading, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,611

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,611 in Reading, PA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Reading, PA $2,611
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,660 in Reading, PA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Reading, PA $3,660
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,709 in Reading, PA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Reading, PA $4,709
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Reading, PA is roughly 19% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Reading, PA 93% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.19 $24.19

$17.04 €15.15

41.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.4 $65.4

$62.3 €55.4

4.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.65 $11.65

$11.02 €9.80

5.72%

Cappuccino

$4.45 $4.45

$3.12 €2.78

42.63%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$2.27 €2.02

5.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.74 €1.55

-14.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 $6.47

$3.42 €3.04

89.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$3.74 €3.33

111.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.17 €1.04

9.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.86 €1.66

80.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.54 €1.37

137.01%

Eggs

$5.17 $5.17

$4.06 €3.61

27.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$12.91 €11.49

4.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$7.90 €7.03

69.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$17.64 €15.69

4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.26 €2.01

92.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.75 €1.55

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.89 €1.68

141.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.56 €2.27

28.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.85 €1.64

38.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.97 €1.75

36.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.45 €1.29

59.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.77 €0.69

131.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$6.71 €5.97

47.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$5.67 €5.04

168.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.37 €1.22

24.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.11 €1.88

45.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.95 €3.51

-22.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.05 €0.93

111.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.24 $42.24

$17.15 €15.26

146.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.19 €1.95

-53.88%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$33.8K €30.0K

-5.10%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.3K €34.0K

-32.05%

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

$212 $212

$164 €146

29.30%

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

$48.15 $48.15

$18.48 €16.43

160.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 $52.8

$32.96 €29.32

60.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.42 $35.42

$45.87 €40.80

-22.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 $20.78

$9.75 €8.67

113.13%

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

$3,314 $3,314

$684 €608

384.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$17.6K €15.7K

240.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.4 $75.4

$104 €92.3

-27.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 $51.9

$46.20 €41.09

12.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$99.7 €88.7

19.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$125 €111

8.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 $1,493

$1,589 €1,414

-6.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 $1,288

$1,169 €1,040

10.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,050 $2,050

$2,851 €2,536

-28.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 $1,820

$1,993 €1,773

-8.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,879 $1,879

$7,793 €6,932

-75.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,862 $1,862

$4,418 €3,930

-57.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,768 $2,768

$1,600 €1,423

73.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

3.85

71.69%

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

Last update for Reading, PA: 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

Reading, PA

$1.3K 49.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 9.3% $119

Groceries & Markets

Reading, PA

$402 15.4%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 32% $129

Eating Out

Reading, PA

$346 13.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 28.4% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reading, PA

$313 12%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 31.2% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Reading, PA

$172 6.6%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 2.1% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Reading, PA

$77 3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 15.1% $12

Getting Around

Reading, PA

$14 * 0.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 343% $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 $1,493 in Reading, PA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reading, PA pays 73% 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: $65.0 in Reading, PA vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $402 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Reading, PA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

03:14 3:14 AM

5 h ahead of Reading, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,082

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

On the map

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Between locations

Reading, PA Lisbon 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Reading, 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

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

Reading, PA and Lisbon differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($2,611 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Reading, 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: $1,493 in Reading, PA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Reading, PA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,611 per month in Reading, PA versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,611 in Reading, PA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Reading, 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, Reading, 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 19% less than in Reading, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.