Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scranton, PA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,386 in Scranton, PA, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scranton, PA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in Scranton, PA
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Scranton, PA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Scranton, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,386

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,386 in Scranton, PA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Scranton, PA $2,386
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,328 in Scranton, PA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Scranton, PA $3,328
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Scranton, PA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Scranton, PA $4,270
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Scranton, PA is roughly 8% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scranton, PA 75% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.79 $11.79

$16.65 €14.95

-29.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 $77.1

$61.7 €55.5

24.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.01 $6.01

$11.36 €10.20

-47.10%

Cappuccino

$4.37 $4.37

$2.97 €2.67

47.14%

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

$1.52 $1.52

$2.29 €2.06

-33.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.74 €1.56

-41.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 $6.71

$3.40 €3.06

97.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 $7.69

$3.31 €2.97

132.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.16 €1.04

-35.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.91 €1.72

-27.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.51 €1.36

41.06%

Eggs

$3.31 $3.31

$4.02 €3.61

-17.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.91 $10.91

$12.94 €11.62

-15.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 $8.67

$7.77 €6.98

11.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 $11.19

$17.76 €15.95

-36.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.30 €2.07

59.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.73 €1.56

-26.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.86 €1.67

80.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.59 €2.33

72.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.82 €1.64

65.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.97 €1.77

64.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.47 €1.32

37.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.72 €0.65

43.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.28 $9.28

$6.58 €5.91

41.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.04 $12.04

$5.61 €5.04

114.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.36 €1.22

115.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.14 €1.92

124.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.33 €2.10

-23.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 $60.6

$44.68 €40.14

35.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.85 €3.46

-16.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.07 €0.96

86.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.65 $24.65

$16.46 €14.79

49.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.20 €1.98

-50.45%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.2K €30.7K

-20.81%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$38.7K €34.8K

-30.98%

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

$237 $237

$161 €145

46.85%

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

$39.88 $39.88

$18.41 €16.54

116.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.44 $49.44

$32.74 €29.41

51.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.90 $24.90

$44.55 €40.02

-44.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.78 $15.78

$19.10 €17.16

-17.38%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 $11.20

$9.60 €8.62

16.67%

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

$769 $769

$668 €600

15.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K $17.8K

$17.6K €15.8K

1.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 $45.86

$102 €91.6

-55.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.04 $30.04

$44.46 €39.94

-32.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 $73.8

$98.5 €88.5

-25.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 $84.0

$124 €111

-32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,608 €1,445

-20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 $1,304

$1,190 €1,069

9.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 $2,143

$2,812 €2,526

-23.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,880 $1,880

$2,013 €1,808

-6.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,703 $1,703

$7,839 €7,042

-78.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,421 $1,421

$4,576 €4,110

-68.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,250 $3,250

$1,575 €1,415

106.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

3.85

73.25%

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

Last update for Scranton, PA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scranton, PA

$1.3K 54.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 8.7% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scranton, PA

$326 13.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 34.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Scranton, PA

$299 12.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 8.9% $27

Eating Out

Scranton, PA

$224 9.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 8.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Scranton, PA

$105 4.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 57.7% $61

Getting Around

Scranton, PA

$81 3.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 21.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Scranton, PA

$47 2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 34.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,274 in Scranton, PA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scranton, PA pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $77 in Scranton, PA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scranton, PA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

21:34 9:34 PM

4 h ahead of Scranton, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,861

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

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Between locations

Scranton, PA Lisbon 5,530 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Scranton, PA
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

Scranton, PA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,386 in Scranton, PA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Scranton, PA is about 2.1 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: $1,274 in Scranton, PA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $769 in Scranton, PA 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 10% higher in Scranton, PA. 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, Scranton, PA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.