Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tempe, AZ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,880 in Tempe, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Tempe, AZ
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Tempe, AZ Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Tempe, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,880

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,880 in Tempe, AZ versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Tempe, AZ $2,880
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,836 in Tempe, AZ versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Tempe, AZ $3,836
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,792 in Tempe, AZ versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Tempe, AZ $4,792
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Tempe, AZ is roughly 30% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tempe, AZ 113% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 $19.77

$16.50 €14.67

19.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 $81.6

$61.3 €54.5

33.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$11.27 €10.03

16.86%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$3.06 €2.72

71.57%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$2.26 €2.01

37.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.73 €1.54

41.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 $6.01

$3.39 €3.02

77.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$3.40 €3.02

110.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.12 €1.00

-13.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.86 €1.65

125.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$1.53 €1.36

304.58%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$3.96 €3.53

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$12.76 €11.35

6.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$7.90 €7.02

70.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$16.97 €15.09

2.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.27 €2.02

135.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.75 €1.55

12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.85 €1.64

122.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.57 €2.28

93.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.86 €1.65

36.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.02 €1.80

48.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.44 €1.28

54.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.82 €0.73

176.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$6.56 €5.83

66.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 $13.65

$5.62 €5.00

142.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.28 €1.14

88.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.07 €1.84

52.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.35 €2.09

-17.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 $64.4

$44.18 €39.30

45.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.99 €3.55

-29.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.09 €0.97

25.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.42 $35.42

$16.64 €14.81

112.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.28 €2.03

-48.68%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

9.10%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-34.41%

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

$240 $240

$167 €149

43.52%

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

$61.4 $61.4

$18.80 €16.72

226.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.0 $78.0

$33.09 €29.43

135.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 $30.16

$46.01 €40.93

-34.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.16 $15.16

$19.19 €17.07

-21.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.80 $13.80

$9.84 €8.75

40.24%

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

$1,107 $1,107

$677 €602

63.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$16.9K €15.1K

-9.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 $62.6

$101 €90.1

-38.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 $44.61

$45.76 €40.70

-2.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 $98.4

$100.0 €88.9

-1.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$123 €109

-8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 $1,894

$1,614 €1,436

17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 $1,460

$1,197 €1,065

21.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$2,862 €2,545

-11.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 $1,683

$1,990 €1,770

-15.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,960 $3,960

$1,588 €1,412

149.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

3.85

68.83%

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

Last update for Tempe, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tempe, AZ

$1.5K 50.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 18% $263

Groceries & Markets

Tempe, AZ

$431 15%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 37.4% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tempe, AZ

$380 13.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 42.2% $160

Eating Out

Tempe, AZ

$327 11.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 26% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Tempe, AZ

$143 5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 16.2% $23

Getting Around

Tempe, AZ

$82 2.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 23% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Tempe, AZ

$58 2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 13.7% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,894 in Tempe, AZ and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tempe, AZ pays 149% 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: $82.0 in Tempe, AZ vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tempe, AZ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

12:05 12:05 PM

8 h ahead of Tempe, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,719

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

Tempe, AZ Lisbon 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tempe, AZ
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

Tempe, AZ vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tempe, AZ and Lisbon differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,880 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 149% higher in Tempe, AZ, 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: $1,894 in Tempe, AZ versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,107 in Tempe, AZ versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Tempe, AZ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,880 in Tempe, AZ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Tempe, AZ. 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, Tempe, AZ 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 30% less than in Tempe, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.