Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rochester, NY and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,362 in Rochester, NY, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Rochester, NY despite lower rent and utilities.

114

Cost of Living Index in Rochester, NY
Learn more

Rochester, NY Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Rochester, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,362

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,362 in Rochester, NY versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Rochester, NY $2,362
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,377 in Rochester, NY versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Rochester, NY $3,377
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,392 in Rochester, NY versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Rochester, NY $4,392
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Rochester, NY is roughly 7% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rochester, NY 74% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.23 $22.23

$16.65 €14.95

33.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.0 $75.0

$61.7 €55.5

21.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 $9.99

$11.36 €10.20

-12.06%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$2.97 €2.67

87.21%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$2.29 €2.06

21.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.74 €1.56

40.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.40 €3.06

32.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.31 €2.97

83.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.16 €1.04

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.91 €1.72

78.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$1.51 €1.36

266.89%

Eggs

$3.90 $3.90

$4.02 €3.61

-2.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 $10.65

$12.94 €11.62

-17.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 $7.86

$7.77 €6.98

1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.28 $15.28

$17.76 €15.95

-13.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.30 €2.07

62.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.73 €1.56

-31.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$1.86 €1.67

203.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.59 €2.33

89.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.82 €1.64

98.35%

Onion (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.97 €1.77

117.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.47 €1.32

46.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.72 €0.65

201.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.78 $14.78

$6.58 €5.91

124.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$5.61 €5.04

79.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.36 €1.22

77.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$2.14 €1.92

69.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.33 €2.10

-56.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 $56.9

$44.68 €40.14

27.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.85 €3.46

-33.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.07 €0.96

75.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.29 $21.29

$16.46 €14.79

29.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.20 €1.98

-52.27%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$34.2K €30.7K

-18.22%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K €34.8K

-32.85%

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

$143 $143

$161 €145

-11.21%

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

$53.3 $53.3

$18.41 €16.54

189.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.7 $71.7

$32.74 €29.41

119.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.42 $31.42

$44.55 €40.02

-29.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.54 $44.54

$19.10 €17.16

133.19%

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 $12.59

$9.60 €8.62

31.15%

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

$1,361 $1,361

$668 €600

103.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.6K $28.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

62.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.39 $41.39

$102 €91.6

-59.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 $32.73

$44.46 €39.94

-26.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 $85.0

$98.5 €88.5

-13.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 $87.1

$124 €111

-29.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 $1,469

$1,608 €1,445

-8.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$1,190 €1,069

-2.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 $2,255

$2,812 €2,526

-19.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$2,013 €1,808

-18.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,593 $1,593

$7,839 €7,042

-79.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,453 $1,453

$4,576 €4,110

-68.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,950 $3,950

$1,575 €1,415

150.79%

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 Rochester, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rochester, NY

$1.2K 49.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 2.6% $30

Groceries & Markets

Rochester, NY

$363 15.4%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 25% $91

Eating Out

Rochester, NY

$330 14%

Lisbon

$243 11% 26.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rochester, NY

$268 11.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 20.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Rochester, NY

$111 4.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 49.8% $55

Getting Around

Rochester, NY

$73 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 13.4% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Rochester, NY

$57 2.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 12.6% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,469 in Rochester, NY and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rochester, NY pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Rochester, NY vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rochester, NY

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

20:48 8:48 PM

4 h ahead of Rochester, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,328

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rochester, NY Lisbon 5,610 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rochester, NY
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

Rochester, NY vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,362 in Rochester, NY and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Rochester, NY is about 2.5 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: $1,469 in Rochester, NY versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,361 in Rochester, NY 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 33% higher in Rochester, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Rochester, NY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.