Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tucson, AZ and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,327 in Tucson, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Tucson, AZ despite lower rent and utilities.

111

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Tucson, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,327

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,327 in Tucson, AZ versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Tucson, AZ $2,327
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,432 in Tucson, AZ versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Tucson, AZ $3,432
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,537 in Tucson, AZ versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Tucson, AZ $4,537
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Tucson, AZ is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tucson, AZ 71% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.86 $19.86

$16.65 €14.91

19.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 $79.4

$61.7 €55.3

28.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.06 $13.06

$11.36 €10.17

14.96%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$2.97 €2.66

72.73%

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

$2.75 $2.75

$2.29 €2.05

20.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.74 €1.56

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.40 €3.05

108.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$3.31 €2.96

122.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.16 €1.04

-18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.91 €1.71

71.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$1.51 €1.35

239.07%

Eggs

$4.55 $4.55

$4.02 €3.60

13.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 $13.54

$12.94 €11.59

4.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 $11.36

$7.77 €6.96

46.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.96 $16.96

$17.76 €15.91

-4.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.30 €2.06

102.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.73 €1.55

8.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.86 €1.66

112.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.59 €2.32

57.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.82 €1.63

34.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.97 €1.76

48.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.47 €1.32

40.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.72 €0.65

188.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 $11.04

$6.58 €5.90

67.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.23 $13.23

$5.61 €5.02

135.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.36 €1.22

79.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.14 €1.91

75.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.85 €3.45

-30.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.07 €0.96

31.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.18 $36.18

$16.46 €14.74

119.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.20 €1.97

-50.91%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$34.2K €30.6K

4.77%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$38.7K €34.7K

-31.12%

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

$194 $194

$161 €144

20.54%

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

$62.9 $62.9

$18.41 €16.49

241.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$32.74 €29.32

127.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.51 $36.51

$44.55 €39.90

-18.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.06 $10.06

$19.10 €17.10

-47.33%

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 $13.14

$9.60 €8.60

36.88%

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

$1,053 $1,053

$668 €598

57.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K $15.8K

$17.6K €15.8K

-10.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$102 €91.4

-46.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.38 $43.38

$44.46 €39.82

-2.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 $97.1

$98.5 €88.2

-1.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$124 €111

-9.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 $1,434

$1,608 €1,440

-10.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 $1,063

$1,190 €1,066

-10.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 $2,264

$2,812 €2,519

-19.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$2,013 €1,803

-14.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,364 $3,364

$7,839 €7,021

-57.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,539 $2,539

$4,576 €4,098

-44.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,016 $4,016

$1,575 €1,411

154.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

3.85

67.27%

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

Last update for Tucson, AZ: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tucson, AZ

$1.1K 45.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 12% $127

Groceries & Markets

Tucson, AZ

$392 16.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 30.6% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tucson, AZ

$332 14.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 35.9% $119

Eating Out

Tucson, AZ

$330 14.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 26.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Tucson, AZ

$138 5.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 20.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Tucson, AZ

$63 2.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 1.5% $1

Getting Around

Tucson, AZ

$9.7 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 550% $53

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 $1,434 in Tucson, AZ and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tucson, AZ pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Tucson, AZ vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tucson, AZ

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

7 h ahead of Tucson, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,116

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

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Between locations

Tucson, AZ Lisbon 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tucson, AZ
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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,327 in Tucson, AZ and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Tucson, AZ is about 2.5 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: $1,434 in Tucson, AZ versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Tucson, AZ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,327 per month in Tucson, AZ versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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