Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockford, IL and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Rockford, IL and in Lisbon: $2,166 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

105

Cost of Living Index in Rockford, IL
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Rockford, IL Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Rockford, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,166

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Rockford, IL versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Rockford, IL $2,166
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,480 in Rockford, IL versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Rockford, IL $3,480
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,794 in Rockford, IL versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Rockford, IL $4,794
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Rockford, IL costs roughly 2% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rockford, IL 60% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.72 $15.72

$17.04 €15.15

-7.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$62.3 €55.4

18.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$11.02 €9.80

-9.53%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$3.12 €2.78

61.22%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$2.27 €2.02

24.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.74 €1.55

14.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.42 €3.04

34.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.74 €3.33

82.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.17 €1.04

-29.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.86 €1.66

82.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.54 €1.37

244.16%

Eggs

$2.91 $2.91

$4.06 €3.61

-28.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$12.91 €11.49

-22.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.99 $13.99

$7.90 €7.03

77.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 $16.79

$17.64 €15.69

-4.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.26 €2.01

111.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.75 €1.55

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.89 €1.68

100.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.56 €2.27

101.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.85 €1.64

32.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.97 €1.75

31.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.45 €1.29

53.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.77 €0.69

140.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 $10.97

$6.71 €5.97

63.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$5.67 €5.04

179.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.37 €1.22

45.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.11 €1.88

-11.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.32 €2.07

-34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 $55.5

$44.43 €39.52

24.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.95 €3.51

-30.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.05 €0.93

50.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.70 $20.70

$17.15 €15.26

20.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.19 €1.95

-52.51%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$33.8K €30.0K

-0.83%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.3K €34.0K

-31.64%

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

$192 $192

$164 €146

17.36%

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

$45.71 $45.71

$18.48 €16.43

147.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.1 $71.1

$32.96 €29.32

115.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.82 $41.82

$45.87 €40.80

-8.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.44 $25.44

$18.68 €16.61

36.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.03 $14.03

$9.75 €8.67

43.90%

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

$520 $520

$684 €608

-24.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,074 $4,074

$17.6K €15.7K

-76.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.23 $45.23

$104 €92.3

-56.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.80 $35.80

$46.20 €41.09

-22.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$99.7 €88.7

-6.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$125 €111

-9.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 $1,293

$1,589 €1,414

-18.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 $925

$1,169 €1,040

-20.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,298 $2,298

$2,851 €2,536

-19.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 $2,040

$1,993 €1,773

2.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,476 $1,476

$7,793 €6,932

-81.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,421 $1,421

$4,418 €3,930

-67.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,398 $3,398

$1,600 €1,423

112.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

3.85

68.57%

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

Last update for Rockford, IL: 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

Rockford, IL

$925 42.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 26.4% $244

Groceries & Markets

Rockford, IL

$389 17.9%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 29.7% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockford, IL

$309 14.3%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 30.3% $94

Eating Out

Rockford, IL

$272 12.6%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Rockford, IL

$129 6%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 30.5% $39

Getting Around

Rockford, IL

$72 3.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 12.9% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Rockford, IL

$70 3.2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 6.4% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,293 in Rockford, IL and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockford, IL pays 112% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74.0 in Rockford, IL vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockford, IL

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:58 5:58 PM

23:58 11:58 PM

6 h ahead of Rockford, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,655

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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Rockford, IL Lisbon 6,510 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Rockford, IL vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rockford, IL and Lisbon differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,166 vs $2,202 including rent). Rockford, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 112% higher in Rockford, IL, 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: $1,293 in Rockford, IL versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $520 in Rockford, IL versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 42% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,166 in Rockford, IL versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rockford, IL but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rockford, IL 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, Rockford, IL 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 Rockford, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.