Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tacoma, WA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,008 in Tacoma, WA, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Tacoma, WA
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Tacoma, WA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Tacoma, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,008

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,008 in Tacoma, WA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Tacoma, WA $3,008
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,371 in Tacoma, WA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Tacoma, WA $4,371
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,735 in Tacoma, WA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Tacoma, WA $5,735
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Tacoma, WA is roughly 36% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tacoma, WA 121% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.28 $25.28

$16.65 €14.96

51.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.9 $80.9

$61.7 €55.5

31.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 $12.14

$11.36 €10.20

6.87%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$2.97 €2.67

88.89%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$2.29 €2.06

35.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.74 €1.56

51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.40 €3.06

104.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.92 $6.92

$3.31 €2.97

109.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.16 €1.04

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.91 €1.72

119.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.83 $5.83

$1.51 €1.36

286.09%

Eggs

$5.69 $5.69

$4.02 €3.61

41.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.85 $15.85

$12.94 €11.62

22.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.91 $15.91

$7.77 €6.99

104.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.45 $23.45

$17.76 €15.96

32.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.30 €2.07

116.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.73 €1.56

0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.86 €1.67

132.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.59 €2.33

74.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.82 €1.64

47.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.97 €1.77

48.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.47 €1.32

17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.72 €0.65

352.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.05 $12.05

$6.58 €5.92

83.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.35 $18.35

$5.61 €5.04

227.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.36 €1.22

30.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.14 €1.92

133.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.33 €2.10

-13.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.6 $62.6

$44.68 €40.14

40.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.85 €3.46

-33.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.07 €0.96

57.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.77 $29.77

$16.46 €14.79

80.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.20 €1.98

-40.00%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$34.2K €30.7K

-17.41%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$38.7K €34.8K

-29.91%

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

$230 $230

$161 €145

42.95%

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

$91.1 $91.1

$18.41 €16.54

394.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.7 $86.7

$32.74 €29.41

164.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.12 $36.12

$44.55 €40.03

-18.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.09 $18.09

$19.10 €17.16

-5.29%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 $13.97

$9.60 €8.62

45.52%

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

$2,085 $2,085

$668 €600

212.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K $32.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

84.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 $61.9

$102 €91.7

-39.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.73 $44.73

$44.46 €39.95

0.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 $86.3

$98.5 €88.5

-12.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$124 €111

4.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 $1,735

$1,608 €1,445

7.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 $1,444

$1,190 €1,069

21.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,699 $2,699

$2,812 €2,527

-4.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,309 $2,309

$2,013 €1,809

14.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,794 $4,794

$7,839 €7,043

-38.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,251 $3,251

$4,576 €4,111

-28.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,927 $4,927

$1,575 €1,415

212.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.85

72.47%

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

Last update for Tacoma, WA: 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

Tacoma, WA

$1.4K 48%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 17.6% $253

Groceries & Markets

Tacoma, WA

$487 16.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 44.1% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tacoma, WA

$408 13.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 48% $196

Eating Out

Tacoma, WA

$378 12.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 35.7% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Tacoma, WA

$145 4.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 14.3% $21

Getting Around

Tacoma, WA

$82 2.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 22.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Tacoma, WA

$64 2.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,735 in Tacoma, WA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tacoma, WA pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Tacoma, WA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $487 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tacoma, WA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

7 h ahead of Tacoma, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,346

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

Tacoma, WA Lisbon 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tacoma, WA
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

Tacoma, WA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tacoma, WA and Lisbon differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($3,008 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 Tacoma, WA is about 3.1 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: $1,735 in Tacoma, WA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,085 in Tacoma, WA 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 79% higher in Tacoma, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,008 in Tacoma, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Tacoma, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tacoma, WA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Tacoma, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.