Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Portland, ME and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,045 in South Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in South Portland, ME
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South Portland, ME Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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South Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,045

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,045 in South Portland, ME versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

South Portland, ME $3,045
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,568 in South Portland, ME versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

South Portland, ME $4,568
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,091 in South Portland, ME versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

South Portland, ME $6,091
Lisbon $4,341

Living in South Portland, ME is roughly 38% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: South Portland, ME 124% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 $24.94

$16.65 €14.95

49.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$61.7 €55.5

90.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.71 $14.71

$11.36 €10.20

29.49%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$2.97 €2.67

80.13%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$2.29 €2.06

34.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.74 €1.56

36.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 $7.81

$3.40 €3.06

129.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$3.31 €2.97

140.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.16 €1.04

-7.76%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.91 €1.72

129.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$1.51 €1.36

360.93%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$4.02 €3.61

0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.36 $15.36

$12.94 €11.62

18.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 $10.35

$7.77 €6.98

33.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.97 $15.97

$17.76 €15.95

-10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.30 €2.07

107.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.73 €1.56

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$1.86 €1.67

196.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.61 $7.61

$2.59 €2.33

193.82%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.82 €1.64

140.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.97 €1.77

91.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.47 €1.32

99.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$0.72 €0.65

259.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.31 $12.31

$6.58 €5.91

87.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.61 €5.04

168.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.36 €1.22

39.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.14 €1.92

21.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.33 €2.10

-18.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.3 $51.3

$44.68 €40.14

14.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.85 €3.46

-46.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.07 €0.96

47.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.94 $10.94

$16.46 €14.79

-33.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.20 €1.98

-50.45%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.2K €30.7K

-19.60%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$38.7K €34.8K

-30.99%

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

$239 $239

$161 €145

48.14%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$18.41 €16.54

271.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.6 $78.6

$32.74 €29.41

139.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.18 $40.18

$44.55 €40.02

-9.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.61 $29.61

$19.10 €17.16

55.03%

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$9.60 €8.62

55.73%

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

$401 $401

$668 €600

-39.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K $15.1K

$17.6K €15.8K

-14.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 $51.9

$102 €91.6

-49.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$44.46 €39.94

15.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$98.5 €88.5

4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$124 €111

6.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 $1,972

$1,608 €1,445

22.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 $1,537

$1,190 €1,069

29.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,166 $3,166

$2,812 €2,526

12.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 $2,605

$2,013 €1,808

29.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 $2,784

$7,839 €7,042

-64.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 $2,332

$4,576 €4,110

-49.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 $4,169

$1,575 €1,415

164.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

3.85

72.73%

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

Last update for South Portland, ME: 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

South Portland, ME

$1.5K 50.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 22.6% $347

Groceries & Markets

South Portland, ME

$446 14.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 39% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Portland, ME

$386 12.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 44.9% $173

Eating Out

South Portland, ME

$385 12.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 36.9% $142

Clothing & Footwear

South Portland, ME

$152 5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 9.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

South Portland, ME

$70 2.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 9% $6.3

Getting Around

South Portland, ME

$69 2.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 8.2% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,972 in South Portland, ME and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

South Portland, ME pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $118 in South Portland, ME vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $446 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 South Portland, ME

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

14:10 2:10 PM

4 h ahead of South Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,498

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

South Portland, ME Lisbon 5,030 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

South Portland, ME
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

South Portland, ME vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Portland, ME and Lisbon differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($3,045 vs $2,210 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in South Portland, ME is about 2.6 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: $1,972 in South Portland, ME versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $401 in South Portland, ME 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 64% higher in South Portland, ME. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,045 in South Portland, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in South Portland, ME. 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, South Portland, ME 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 27% less than in South Portland, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.