Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Redwood City, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $4,197 in Redwood City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

203

Cost of Living Index in Redwood City, CA
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Redwood City, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Redwood City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,197

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,197 in Redwood City, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Redwood City, CA $4,197
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,241 in Redwood City, CA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Redwood City, CA $6,241
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,286 in Redwood City, CA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Redwood City, CA $8,286
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Redwood City, CA is roughly 89% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Redwood City, CA 211% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$16.50 €14.67

51.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 $110

$61.3 €54.5

79.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 $13.44

$11.27 €10.03

19.25%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$3.06 €2.72

84.31%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.26 €2.01

42.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.73 €1.54

53.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$3.39 €3.02

141.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.87 $8.87

$3.40 €3.02

160.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.12 €1.00

36.61%

White Bread (500g)

$5.37 $5.37

$1.86 €1.65

188.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.53 €1.36

217.65%

Eggs

$7.74 $7.74

$3.96 €3.53

95.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.07 $15.07

$12.76 €11.35

18.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$7.90 €7.02

34.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$16.97 €15.09

15.56%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$2.27 €2.02

175.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.75 €1.55

62.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.85 €1.64

142.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$2.57 €2.28

142.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.86 €1.65

60.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.02 €1.80

80.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.44 €1.28

93.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$0.82 €0.73

219.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$6.56 €5.83

80.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 $20.28

$5.62 €5.00

260.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.28 €1.14

106.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.07 €1.84

64.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.35 €2.09

103.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.25 $4.25

$3.99 €3.55

6.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.09 €0.97

11.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.38 $38.38

$16.64 €14.81

130.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.28 €2.03

-31.14%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

11.11%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$39.3K €35.0K

-32.47%

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

$237 $237

$167 €149

41.60%

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

$53.7 $53.7

$18.80 €16.72

185.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$33.09 €29.43

110.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$239 $239

$46.01 €40.93

419.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.93 $29.93

$19.19 €17.07

55.97%

Cinema Ticket

$17.91 $17.91

$9.84 €8.75

82.01%

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

$2,907 $2,907

$677 €602

329.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.0K $43.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

154.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 $45.86

$101 €90.1

-54.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.04 $25.04

$45.76 €40.70

-45.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 $98.8

$100.0 €88.9

-1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$123 €109

-7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,248 $4,248

$1,614 €1,436

163.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,521 $2,521

$1,197 €1,065

110.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,692 $5,692

$2,862 €2,545

98.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,469 $4,469

$1,990 €1,770

124.54%

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)

$8,008 $8,008

$1,588 €1,412

404.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

3.85

77.14%

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

Last update for Redwood City, CA: 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

Redwood City, CA

$2.5K 60.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 52.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Redwood City, CA

$493 11.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 45.4% $224

Eating Out

Redwood City, CA

$390 9.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 38% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Redwood City, CA

$360 8.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 39.1% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Redwood City, CA

$275 6.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 76.1% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Redwood City, CA

$128 3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 30.4% $39

Getting Around

Redwood City, CA

$29 * 0.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 114% $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 $4,248 in Redwood City, CA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Redwood City, CA pays 404% 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: $110 in Redwood City, CA vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $493 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Redwood City, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

06:01 6:01 AM

8 h ahead of Redwood City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,314

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

Redwood City, CA Lisbon 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Redwood City, CA
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

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

Redwood City, CA and Lisbon differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($4,197 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 404% higher in Redwood City, CA, 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: $4,248 in Redwood City, CA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Redwood City, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $4,197 per month in Redwood City, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $4,197 in Redwood City, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Redwood City, 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.

Safety-wise, Redwood City, CA 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 89% less than in Redwood City, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.