Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset, NJ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,865 in Somerset, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

189

Cost of Living Index in Somerset, NJ
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Somerset, NJ Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Somerset, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,865

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,865 in Somerset, NJ versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Somerset, NJ $3,865
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Somerset, NJ versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Somerset, NJ $4,297
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,728 in Somerset, NJ versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Somerset, NJ $4,728
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Somerset, NJ is roughly 74% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Somerset, NJ 186% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 $18.26

$16.50 €14.67

10.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.28 $39.28

$61.3 €54.5

-35.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 $8.16

$11.27 €10.03

-27.60%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$3.06 €2.72

59.80%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$2.26 €2.01

-13.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.73 €1.54

-15.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$3.39 €3.02

131.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.40 €3.02

109.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.12 €1.00

17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.86 €1.65

135.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.53 €1.36

300.00%

Eggs

$2.02 $2.02

$3.96 €3.53

-48.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$12.76 €11.35

4.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.19 $10.19

$7.90 €7.02

28.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.45 $19.45

$16.97 €15.09

14.61%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.27 €2.02

167.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.75 €1.55

99.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.85 €1.64

133.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.57 €2.28

111.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.86 €1.65

63.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.02 €1.80

50.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.44 €1.28

68.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$0.82 €0.73

262.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.39 $17.39

$6.56 €5.83

165.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$5.62 €5.00

171.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.28 €1.14

39.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.07 €1.84

70.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.35 €2.09

-17.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.99 €3.55

-26.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.09 €0.97

104.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.34 $41.34

$16.64 €14.81

148.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.28 €2.03

-51.75%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

6.86%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$39.3K €35.0K

-35.65%

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

$173 $173

$167 €149

3.33%

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

$50.0 $50.0

$18.80 €16.72

165.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.14 $49.14

$33.09 €29.43

48.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.91 $40.91

$46.01 €40.93

-11.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$20.32 $20.32

$9.84 €8.75

106.50%

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

$2,016 $2,016

$677 €602

197.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$16.9K €15.1K

-3.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$101 €90.1

-50.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.93 $40.93

$45.76 €40.70

-10.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$100.0 €88.9

-14.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$123 €109

-15.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$1,614 €1,436

-0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,626 $2,626

$1,197 €1,065

119.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 $2,527

$2,862 €2,545

-11.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 $2,114

$1,990 €1,770

6.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,767 $2,767

$7,577 €6,740

-63.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 $2,399

$4,307 €3,831

-44.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

3.85

76.62%

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

Last update for Somerset, NJ: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Somerset, NJ

$2.6K 67.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 54.4% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Somerset, NJ

$441 11.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 39% $172

Eating Out

Somerset, NJ

$296 7.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 18.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset, NJ

$272 7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 19.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset, NJ

$126 3.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 32% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset, NJ

$82 2.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 19.5% $16

Getting Around

Somerset, NJ

$22 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 188% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,599 in Somerset, NJ and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Somerset, NJ vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $441 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Somerset, NJ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

07:50 7:50 AM

5 h ahead of Somerset, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,924

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

Somerset, NJ Lisbon 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerset, NJ
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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

Somerset, NJ vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Somerset, NJ and Lisbon differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($3,865 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $5,798 in Somerset, NJ and $3,335 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,599 in Somerset, NJ versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Somerset, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,865 per month in Somerset, NJ versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,865 in Somerset, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Somerset, NJ. 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, Somerset, NJ 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 74% less than in Somerset, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.