Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scottsdale, AZ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Scottsdale, AZ
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Scottsdale, AZ Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Scottsdale, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,911

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Scottsdale, AZ $2,911
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,339 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Scottsdale, AZ $4,339
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,767 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Scottsdale, AZ $5,767
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Scottsdale, AZ is roughly 31% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scottsdale, AZ 116% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.63 $19.63

$16.50 €14.67

18.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 $85.9

$61.3 €54.5

40.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.83 $12.83

$11.27 €10.03

13.84%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.06 €2.72

73.86%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$2.26 €2.01

30.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.73 €1.54

37.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.39 €3.02

79.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$3.40 €3.02

131.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.12 €1.00

-9.82%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.86 €1.65

118.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.53 €1.36

224.84%

Eggs

$4.49 $4.49

$3.96 €3.53

13.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$12.76 €11.35

7.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$7.90 €7.02

41.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 $17.13

$16.97 €15.09

0.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.27 €2.02

93.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.75 €1.55

6.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.85 €1.64

103.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.57 €2.28

61.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.86 €1.65

52.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.02 €1.80

39.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.44 €1.28

47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.82 €0.73

220.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$6.56 €5.83

62.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 $13.49

$5.62 €5.00

140.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.28 €1.14

94.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.07 €1.84

60.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.35 €2.09

-3.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.51 $42.51

$44.18 €39.30

-3.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.99 €3.55

-30.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.09 €0.97

22.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.81 $35.81

$16.64 €14.81

115.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.28 €2.03

-47.81%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

8.83%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$39.3K €35.0K

-35.35%

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

$200 $200

$167 €149

19.58%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$18.80 €16.72

238.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$33.09 €29.43

127.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 $34.23

$46.01 €40.93

-25.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 $10.04

$19.19 €17.07

-47.68%

Cinema Ticket

$13.71 $13.71

$9.84 €8.75

39.33%

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

$1,238 $1,238

$677 €602

82.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K $20.2K

$16.9K €15.1K

19.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 $54.9

$101 €90.1

-45.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.13 $43.13

$45.76 €40.70

-5.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 $99.2

$100.0 €88.9

-0.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$123 €109

8.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 $2,387

$1,614 €1,436

47.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$1,197 €1,065

30.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 $3,230

$2,862 €2,545

12.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,760 $2,760

$1,990 €1,770

38.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,759 $3,759

$7,577 €6,740

-50.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,744 $4,744

$4,307 €3,831

10.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,671 $5,671

$1,588 €1,412

257.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

3.85

71.95%

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

Last update for Scottsdale, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scottsdale, AZ

$1.6K 53.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 23.6% $370

Groceries & Markets

Scottsdale, AZ

$406 14%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 33.7% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scottsdale, AZ

$339 11.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 35.3% $120

Eating Out

Scottsdale, AZ

$327 11.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 25.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Scottsdale, AZ

$149 5.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 12% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Scottsdale, AZ

$62 2.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 6.5% $4

Getting Around

Scottsdale, AZ

$61 2.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 3.3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,387 in Scottsdale, AZ and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scottsdale, AZ pays 257% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $86.0 in Scottsdale, AZ vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scottsdale, AZ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

8 h ahead of Scottsdale, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,361

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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Between locations

Scottsdale, AZ Lisbon 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Scottsdale, AZ
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

Scottsdale, AZ vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scottsdale, AZ and Lisbon differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,911 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 257% higher in Scottsdale, AZ, 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: $2,387 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,238 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Scottsdale, AZ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Scottsdale, AZ. 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, Scottsdale, AZ 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Scottsdale, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.