Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockville, MD and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,247 in Rockville, MD, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Rockville, MD
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Rockville, MD Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Rockville, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,247

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,247 in Rockville, MD versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Rockville, MD $3,247
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,701 in Rockville, MD versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Rockville, MD $4,701
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,154 in Rockville, MD versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Rockville, MD $6,154
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Rockville, MD is roughly 47% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rockville, MD 139% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 $22.62

$16.65 €14.95

35.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$61.7 €55.5

20.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$11.36 €10.20

-10.30%

Cappuccino

$5.31 $5.31

$2.97 €2.67

78.79%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$2.29 €2.06

5.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.74 €1.56

1.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 $6.63

$3.40 €3.06

95.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 $7.47

$3.31 €2.97

125.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.16 €1.04

-2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.91 €1.72

56.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.51 €1.36

76.16%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$4.02 €3.61

-5.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 $9.75

$12.94 €11.62

-24.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$7.77 €6.98

19.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.29 $18.29

$17.76 €15.95

2.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.30 €2.07

106.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.73 €1.56

-26.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.86 €1.67

135.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.59 €2.33

49.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.82 €1.64

42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.97 €1.77

24.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.47 €1.32

76.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.72 €0.65

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 $14.00

$6.58 €5.91

112.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.48 $14.48

$5.61 €5.04

158.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.36 €1.22

77.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.14 €1.92

75.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.33 €2.10

35.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$44.68 €40.14

146.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.85 €3.46

31.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.07 €0.96

3.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.29 $23.29

$16.46 €14.79

41.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.20 €1.98

-51.36%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$34.2K €30.7K

0.24%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$38.7K €34.8K

-32.05%

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

$297 $297

$161 €145

84.49%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$18.41 €16.54

175.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$32.74 €29.41

85.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.82 $42.82

$44.55 €40.02

-3.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.46 $12.46

$19.10 €17.16

-34.76%

Cinema Ticket

$16.64 $16.64

$9.60 €8.62

73.33%

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

$1,934 $1,934

$668 €600

189.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K $27.7K

$17.6K €15.8K

57.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.01 $46.01

$102 €91.6

-54.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.71 $39.71

$44.46 €39.94

-10.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 $88.5

$98.5 €88.5

-10.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$124 €111

7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,213 $2,213

$1,608 €1,445

37.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$1,190 €1,069

50.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,763 $3,763

$2,812 €2,526

33.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,061 $3,061

$2,013 €1,808

52.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,172 $4,172

$7,839 €7,042

-46.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,976 $2,976

$4,576 €4,110

-34.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,378 $6,378

$1,575 €1,415

304.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

3.85

67.79%

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

Last update for Rockville, MD: 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

Rockville, MD

$1.8K 55.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 33.6% $601

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockville, MD

$409 12.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 48% $196

Groceries & Markets

Rockville, MD

$359 11.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 24.2% $87

Eating Out

Rockville, MD

$340 10.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 28.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Rockville, MD

$138 4.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 20.1% $28

Getting Around

Rockville, MD

$133 4.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 52.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Rockville, MD

$76 2.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 16.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,213 in Rockville, MD and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $75 in Rockville, MD vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockville, MD

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

15:26 3:26 PM

4 h ahead of Rockville, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,139

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rockville, MD Lisbon 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rockville, MD
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

Rockville, MD vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rockville, MD and Lisbon differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($3,247 vs $2,210 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Rockville, MD 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: $2,213 in Rockville, MD versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,934 in Rockville, MD 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 32% higher in Rockville, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,247 in Rockville, MD, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Rockville, MD. 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 32% less than in Rockville, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.