Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salem, MA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,554 in Salem, MA, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Salem, MA
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Salem, MA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Salem, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,554

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,554 in Salem, MA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Salem, MA $3,554
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,918 in Salem, MA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Salem, MA $4,918
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,282 in Salem, MA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Salem, MA $6,282
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Salem, MA is roughly 61% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Salem, MA 161% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.21 $25.21

$16.65 €14.85

51.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.7 €55.1

63.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$11.36 €10.13

-4.14%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$2.97 €2.65

66.67%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$2.29 €2.04

8.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.74 €1.55

22.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$3.40 €3.04

132.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.01 $7.01

$3.31 €2.95

111.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.16 €1.03

8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.91 €1.71

89.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.51 €1.35

193.38%

Eggs

$4.43 $4.43

$4.02 €3.59

10.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.51 $12.51

$12.94 €11.54

-3.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 $11.34

$7.77 €6.94

45.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.95 $16.95

$17.76 €15.85

-4.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.30 €2.06

104.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.73 €1.55

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.86 €1.66

136.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.59 €2.31

80.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.82 €1.62

53.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.97 €1.76

48.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.47 €1.31

70.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.72 €0.65

205.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$6.58 €5.87

45.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$5.61 €5.00

171.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.36 €1.22

63.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.14 €1.91

56.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.33 €2.08

-3.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 $59.6

$44.68 €39.86

33.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.85 €3.43

-9.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.07 €0.95

66.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.75 $26.75

$16.46 €14.69

62.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$2.20 €1.96

-60.00%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$34.2K €30.5K

-28.36%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$38.7K €34.5K

-40.91%

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

$193 $193

$161 €144

19.65%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$18.41 €16.43

217.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 $65.7

$32.74 €29.21

100.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$44.55 €39.74

-4.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$14.78 $14.78

$9.60 €8.56

53.96%

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

$1,423 $1,423

$668 €596

113.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K $21.9K

$17.6K €15.7K

24.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.3 $85.3

$102 €91.0

-16.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 $57.1

$44.46 €39.67

28.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$98.5 €87.9

-0.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 $98.3

$124 €110

-20.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,353 $2,353

$1,608 €1,435

46.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,190 €1,062

81.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 $3,963

$2,812 €2,509

40.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,088 $3,088

$2,013 €1,796

53.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,802 $2,802

$7,839 €6,994

-64.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,303 $2,303

$4,576 €4,082

-49.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,667 $9,667

$1,575 €1,405

513.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

3.85

70.65%

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

Last update for Salem, MA: 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

Salem, MA

$2.2K 60.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 45% $974

Groceries & Markets

Salem, MA

$402 11.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 32.3% $130

Eating Out

Salem, MA

$366 10.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 33.7% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salem, MA

$317 8.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 33% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Salem, MA

$152 4.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.9% $14

Getting Around

Salem, MA

$81 2.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 21.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Salem, MA

$72 2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 11.5% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,353 in Salem, MA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salem, MA pays about 6.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Salem, MA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $402 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salem, MA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

03:37 3:37 AM

5 h ahead of Salem, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,469

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Salem, MA Lisbon 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Salem, MA
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

Salem, MA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,554 in Salem, MA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Salem, MA is about 6.1 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: $2,353 in Salem, MA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,423 in Salem, MA 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 48% higher in Salem, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,554 in Salem, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Salem, MA. 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, Salem, MA and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Salem, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.