Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,785 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,785

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,785 in Seattle, WA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Seattle, WA $3,785
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,688 in Seattle, WA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Seattle, WA $5,688
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,592 in Seattle, WA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Seattle, WA $7,592
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 71% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 178% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.30 $25.30

$16.65 €14.91

51.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.7 €55.3

63.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.76 $14.76

$11.36 €10.17

29.93%

Cappuccino

$6.50 $6.50

$2.97 €2.66

118.86%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$2.29 €2.05

40.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.74 €1.56

80.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$3.40 €3.05

134.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.31 €2.96

145.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.16 €1.04

0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.91 €1.71

177.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$1.51 €1.35

323.84%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$4.02 €3.60

25.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$12.94 €11.59

44.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.72 $18.72

$7.77 €6.96

140.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.88 $22.88

$17.76 €15.91

28.83%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 $6.06

$2.30 €2.06

163.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.73 €1.55

12.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$1.86 €1.66

196.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$2.59 €2.32

151.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.82 €1.63

91.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.97 €1.76

67.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.47 €1.32

90.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.72 €0.65

258.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 $12.49

$6.58 €5.90

89.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 $14.87

$5.61 €5.02

165.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.36 €1.22

208.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 $5.80

$2.14 €1.91

171.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.33 €2.09

30.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

$44.68 €40.01

137.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.85 €3.45

-32.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.07 €0.96

53.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.12 $30.12

$16.46 €14.74

82.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.20 €1.97

-35.91%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$34.2K €30.6K

7.63%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K €34.7K

-31.34%

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

$308 $308

$161 €144

90.80%

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

$69.2 $69.2

$18.41 €16.49

275.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.1 $86.1

$32.74 €29.32

162.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.5 $76.5

$44.55 €39.90

71.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.50 $35.50

$19.10 €17.10

85.86%

Cinema Ticket

$18.02 $18.02

$9.60 €8.60

87.71%

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

$2,746 $2,746

$668 €598

311.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

73.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 $79.2

$102 €91.4

-22.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 $54.3

$44.46 €39.82

22.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$98.5 €88.2

28.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$124 €111

28.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 $2,508

$1,608 €1,440

55.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 $1,938

$1,190 €1,066

62.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,117 $5,117

$2,812 €2,519

81.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,542 $3,542

$2,013 €1,803

75.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,374 $7,374

$7,839 €7,021

-5.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,002 $5,002

$4,576 €4,098

9.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,470 $6,470

$1,575 €1,411

310.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

3.85

78.96%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: 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

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 38.6% $748

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$547 14.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 50.2% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$463 12.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 54.1% $250

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$406 10.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 40.3% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 12.1% $23

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 51% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$112 3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 43.3% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,508 in Seattle, WA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Seattle, WA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $547 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

8 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Seattle, WA Lisbon 8,370 km ≈ 11 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

Seattle, WA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,785 in Seattle, WA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Seattle, WA is about 4.1 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: $2,508 in Seattle, WA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,746 in Seattle, WA 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 101% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. 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 42% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.