Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,814 in Sterling, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Sterling
Learn more

Sterling Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Sterling

🇺🇸 United States

$2,814

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,814 in Sterling versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Sterling $2,814
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,314 in Sterling versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Sterling $4,314
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,814 in Sterling versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Sterling $5,814
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Sterling is roughly 27% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sterling 107% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.81 $18.81

$16.65 €14.91

12.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 $75.5

$61.7 €55.3

22.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 $11.94

$11.36 €10.17

5.11%

Cappuccino

$6.07 $6.07

$2.97 €2.66

104.38%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$2.29 €2.05

29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.74 €1.56

44.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.40 €3.05

60.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$3.31 €2.96

136.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.16 €1.04

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.91 €1.71

112.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$1.51 €1.35

243.05%

Eggs

$5.48 $5.48

$4.02 €3.60

36.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$12.94 €11.59

32.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.76 $14.76

$7.77 €6.96

89.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$17.76 €15.91

5.24%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.30 €2.06

142.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.73 €1.55

31.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.86 €1.66

167.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$2.59 €2.32

121.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.82 €1.63

62.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.97 €1.76

98.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.47 €1.32

60.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.72 €0.65

283.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.03 $10.03

$6.58 €5.90

52.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 $13.88

$5.61 €5.02

147.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.36 €1.22

64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.14 €1.91

169.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.33 €2.09

118.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.85 €3.45

-20.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.07 €0.96

39.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.06 $22.06

$16.46 €14.74

34.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.20 €1.97

-52.73%

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

$34.9K $34.9K

$34.2K €30.6K

2.04%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

-34.20%

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

$156 $156

$161 €144

-3.26%

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

$50.3 $50.3

$18.41 €16.49

173.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.1 $78.1

$32.74 €29.32

138.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.14 $29.14

$44.55 €39.90

-34.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$18.21 $18.21

$9.60 €8.60

89.69%

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

$1,890 $1,890

$668 €598

183.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.0K $32.0K

$17.6K €15.8K

81.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$102 €91.4

-47.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$44.46 €39.82

3.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 $86.8

$98.5 €88.2

-11.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$124 €111

-14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 $1,245

$1,608 €1,440

-22.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 $1,503

$1,190 €1,066

26.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$2,812 €2,519

-28.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,860 $2,860

$2,013 €1,803

42.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,292 $3,292

$7,839 €7,021

-58.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,321 $2,321

$4,576 €4,098

-49.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,746 $3,746

$1,575 €1,411

137.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

3.85

72.21%

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

Last update for Sterling: 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

Sterling

$1.5K 53.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 20.8% $313

Groceries & Markets

Sterling

$475 16.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 42.7% $203

Eating Out

Sterling

$324 11.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 25.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sterling

$284 10.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 25.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Sterling

$131 4.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 26.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sterling

$66 2.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 2.8% $1.8

Getting Around

Sterling

$31 * 1.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 105% $32

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 $1,245 in Sterling and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sterling pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Sterling vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sterling

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

22:14 10:14 PM

6 h ahead of Sterling

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,782

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sterling Lisbon 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sterling
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

Sterling vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,814 in Sterling and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sterling is about 2.4 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: $1,245 in Sterling versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Sterling. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,814 per month in Sterling versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Sterling and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Sterling on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.