Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reston, VA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,210 in Reston, VA, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Reston, VA
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Reston, VA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Reston, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,210

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,210 in Reston, VA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Reston, VA $3,210
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,151 in Reston, VA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Reston, VA $5,151
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,092 in Reston, VA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Reston, VA $7,092
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Reston, VA is roughly 45% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Reston, VA 136% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 $24.67

$16.65 €14.91

48.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$61.7 €55.3

90.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$11.36 €10.17

-10.39%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$2.97 €2.66

98.65%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$2.29 €2.05

29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.74 €1.56

52.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.04 $7.04

$3.40 €3.05

107.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 $7.44

$3.31 €2.96

124.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.16 €1.04

11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.91 €1.71

119.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.51 €1.35

185.43%

Eggs

$5.29 $5.29

$4.02 €3.60

31.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.14 $17.14

$12.94 €11.59

32.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.56 $16.56

$7.77 €6.96

113.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$17.76 €15.91

29.67%

Apples (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$2.30 €2.06

201.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.73 €1.55

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.86 €1.66

114.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.59 €2.32

128.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.82 €1.63

58.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.97 €1.76

88.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.47 €1.32

97.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.72 €0.65

241.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.99 $13.99

$6.58 €5.90

112.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.29 $18.29

$5.61 €5.02

226.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.36 €1.22

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.14 €1.91

118.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.33 €2.09

68.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 $128

$44.68 €40.01

186.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.85 €3.45

3.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.07 €0.96

50.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.13 $25.13

$16.46 €14.74

52.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.20 €1.97

-54.55%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$34.2K €30.6K

-11.31%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$38.7K €34.7K

-38.87%

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

$214 $214

$161 €144

33.01%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$18.41 €16.49

245.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.2 $79.2

$32.74 €29.32

141.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 $101

$44.55 €39.90

127.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.23 $30.23

$19.10 €17.10

58.27%

Cinema Ticket

$15.91 $15.91

$9.60 €8.60

65.73%

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

$2,926 $2,926

$668 €598

338.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.5K $41.5K

$17.6K €15.8K

135.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$102 €91.4

-26.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.29 $43.29

$44.46 €39.82

-2.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$98.5 €88.2

7.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$124 €111

2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,364 $2,364

$1,608 €1,440

46.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$1,190 €1,066

29.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,630 $3,630

$2,812 €2,519

29.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,204 $3,204

$2,013 €1,803

59.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,480 $6,480

$7,839 €7,021

-17.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,297 $4,297

$4,576 €4,098

-6.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,272 $6,272

$1,575 €1,411

298.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

3.85

72.21%

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

Last update for Reston, VA: 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

Reston, VA

$1.5K 47.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 22.5% $346

Groceries & Markets

Reston, VA

$499 15.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 45.4% $227

Eating Out

Reston, VA

$371 11.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 34.7% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reston, VA

$357 11.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 40.6% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Reston, VA

$158 4.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.1% $8

Getting Around

Reston, VA

$156 4.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 59.4% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Reston, VA

$133 4.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 52.1% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,364 in Reston, VA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reston, VA pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $118 in Reston, VA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $499 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Reston, VA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

5 h ahead of Reston, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,404

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

Reston, VA Lisbon 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Reston, VA
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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

Reston, VA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,210 in Reston, VA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Reston, VA is about 4 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: $2,364 in Reston, VA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,926 in Reston, VA versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,210 in Reston, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Reston, VA. 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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Reston, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.