Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between State College, PA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,426 in State College, PA, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in State College, PA
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State College, PA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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State College, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,426

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,426 in State College, PA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

State College, PA $2,426
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,582 in State College, PA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

State College, PA $3,582
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,737 in State College, PA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

State College, PA $4,737
Lisbon $4,346

Living in State College, PA is roughly 10% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: State College, PA 79% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.30 $15.30

$17.04 €15.15

-10.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 $67.1

$62.3 €55.4

7.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 $9.28

$11.02 €9.80

-15.79%

Cappuccino

$3.46 $3.46

$3.12 €2.78

10.90%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$2.27 €2.02

10.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.74 €1.55

0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$3.42 €3.04

100.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 $7.51

$3.74 €3.33

100.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.17 €1.04

-4.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.86 €1.66

63.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.54 €1.37

32.47%

Eggs

$3.85 $3.85

$4.06 €3.61

-5.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.85 $9.85

$12.91 €11.49

-23.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 $9.19

$7.90 €7.03

16.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.07 $18.07

$17.64 €15.69

2.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.26 €2.01

55.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.75 €1.55

-24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.89 €1.68

138.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.56 €2.27

50.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.85 €1.64

-5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.97 €1.75

24.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.45 €1.29

55.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.77 €0.69

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 $11.73

$6.71 €5.97

74.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.38 $14.38

$5.67 €5.04

153.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.37 €1.22

24.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.11 €1.88

76.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.32 €2.07

-3.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.9 $85.9

$44.43 €39.52

93.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.95 €3.51

26.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.05 €0.93

2.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.85 $22.85

$17.15 €15.26

33.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.19 €1.95

-50.68%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.8K €30.0K

-18.34%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-32.41%

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

$160 $160

$164 €146

-2.40%

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

$40.38 $40.38

$18.48 €16.43

118.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 $59.3

$32.96 €29.32

79.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.65 $24.65

$45.87 €40.80

-46.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$16.77 $16.77

$9.75 €8.67

72.00%

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

$1,034 $1,034

$684 €608

51.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.4K $27.4K

$17.6K €15.7K

55.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.57 $46.57

$104 €92.3

-55.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.71 $40.71

$46.20 €41.09

-11.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 $81.1

$99.7 €88.7

-18.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$125 €111

6.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 $1,776

$1,589 €1,414

11.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 $1,270

$1,169 €1,040

8.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 $2,825

$2,851 €2,536

-0.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,170 $2,170

$1,993 €1,773

8.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,365 $2,365

$7,793 €6,932

-69.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,083 $2,083

$4,418 €3,930

-52.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,230 $4,230

$1,600 €1,423

164.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

3.85

67.79%

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

Last update for State College, PA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

State College, PA

$1.3K 52.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 7.9% $101

Groceries & Markets

State College, PA

$340 14%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 19.7% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

State College, PA

$260 10.7%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 17.1% $44

Eating Out

State College, PA

$258 10.6%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 4.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

State College, PA

$135 5.6%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 24.5% $33

Getting Around

State College, PA

$105 4.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 40.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

State College, PA

$58 2.4%

Lisbon

$65 3% 12.3% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,776 in State College, PA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

State College, PA pays 164% 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: $67.0 in State College, PA vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 State College, PA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

12:39 12:39 PM

5 h ahead of State College, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,501

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

On the map

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Between locations

State College, PA Lisbon 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

State College, 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

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

State College, PA and Lisbon differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,426 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 164% higher in State College, PA, 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: $1,776 in State College, PA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,034 in State College, PA versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in State College, PA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,426 in State College, PA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in State College, PA. 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, State College, PA 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 10% less than in State College, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.