Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Syracuse, NY and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $3,009 in Syracuse, NY, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Syracuse, NY
Learn more

Syracuse, NY Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Syracuse, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,009

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Syracuse, NY versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Syracuse, NY $3,009
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,141 in Syracuse, NY versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Syracuse, NY $4,141
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,273 in Syracuse, NY versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Syracuse, NY $5,273
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Syracuse, NY is roughly 37% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Syracuse, NY 122% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 $18.10

$17.04 €15.15

6.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 $75.9

$62.3 €55.4

21.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.05 $12.05

$11.02 €9.80

9.35%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$3.12 €2.78

94.87%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$2.27 €2.02

21.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.74 €1.55

17.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 $6.79

$3.42 €3.04

98.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.55 $7.55

$3.74 €3.33

101.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.17 €1.04

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 $3.42

$1.86 €1.66

83.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.54 €1.37

193.51%

Eggs

$4.07 $4.07

$4.06 €3.61

0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 $11.24

$12.91 €11.49

-12.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.75 $13.75

$7.90 €7.03

74.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.05 $18.05

$17.64 €15.69

2.32%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$2.26 €2.01

176.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.75 €1.55

-21.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$1.89 €1.68

176.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$2.56 €2.27

175.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.85 €1.64

56.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.97 €1.75

91.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.45 €1.29

108.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.77 €0.69

244.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.68 $14.68

$6.71 €5.97

118.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.15 $15.15

$5.67 €5.04

167.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.37 €1.22

115.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.11 €1.88

127.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.32 €2.07

20.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 $113

$44.43 €39.52

154.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.95 €3.51

-2.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.05 €0.93

106.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.35 $30.35

$17.15 €15.26

76.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.19 €1.95

-49.32%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$33.8K €30.0K

-9.39%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.3K €34.0K

-30.02%

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

$232 $232

$164 €146

41.76%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$18.48 €16.43

217.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$32.96 €29.32

125.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 $52.7

$45.87 €40.80

14.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.60 $32.60

$18.68 €16.61

74.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 $15.20

$9.75 €8.67

55.90%

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

$1,694 $1,694

$684 €608

147.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$17.6K €15.7K

0.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$104 €92.3

-46.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.19 $48.19

$46.20 €41.09

4.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 $96.8

$99.7 €88.7

-2.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$125 €111

-3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 $1,703

$1,589 €1,414

7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 $1,511

$1,169 €1,040

29.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,190 $3,190

$2,851 €2,536

11.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 $2,007

$1,993 €1,773

0.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,758 $1,758

$7,793 €6,932

-77.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,935 $1,935

$4,418 €3,930

-56.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,646 $3,646

$1,600 €1,423

127.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

3.85

73.25%

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

Last update for Syracuse, NY: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Syracuse, NY

$1.5K 50.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 22.6% $342

Groceries & Markets

Syracuse, NY

$445 14.8%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 38.6% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Syracuse, NY

$365 12.1%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 41% $150

Eating Out

Syracuse, NY

$322 10.7%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 23.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Syracuse, NY

$144 4.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 16.8% $24

Getting Around

Syracuse, NY

$139 4.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 54.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Syracuse, NY

$83 2.8%

Lisbon

$65 3% 21.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Syracuse, NY and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Syracuse, NY pays 128% 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: $76.0 in Syracuse, NY vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $445 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Syracuse, NY

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

04:55 4:55 AM

5 h ahead of Syracuse, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,620

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Syracuse, NY Lisbon 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Syracuse, NY
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

Syracuse, NY vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Syracuse, NY and Lisbon differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($3,009 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 128% higher in Syracuse, NY, 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: $1,703 in Syracuse, NY versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,694 in Syracuse, NY 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 63% higher in Syracuse, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $3,009 in Syracuse, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Syracuse, NY. 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, Syracuse, NY 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 37% less than in Syracuse, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.