Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tuscaloosa, AL and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Tuscaloosa, AL and in Lisbon: $2,203 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

106

Cost of Living Index in Tuscaloosa, AL
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Tuscaloosa, AL Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Tuscaloosa, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,203

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Tuscaloosa, AL versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Tuscaloosa, AL $2,203
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Tuscaloosa, AL versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Tuscaloosa, AL $3,237
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,271 in Tuscaloosa, AL versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Tuscaloosa, AL $4,271
Lisbon $4,346

Monthly costs are close between Tuscaloosa, AL and Lisbon; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tuscaloosa, AL 63% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 $17.19

$17.04 €15.15

0.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 $73.2

$62.3 €55.4

17.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 $8.79

$11.02 €9.80

-20.24%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$3.12 €2.78

74.36%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$2.27 €2.02

5.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.74 €1.55

-2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 $6.11

$3.42 €3.04

78.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$3.74 €3.33

91.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.17 €1.04

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.86 €1.66

102.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.54 €1.37

154.55%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$4.06 €3.61

3.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.26 $12.26

$12.91 €11.49

-5.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$7.90 €7.03

81.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 $13.30

$17.64 €15.69

-24.60%

Apples (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$2.26 €2.01

197.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.75 €1.55

-9.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$1.89 €1.68

485.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.92 $6.92

$2.56 €2.27

170.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.85 €1.64

55.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.97 €1.75

91.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.45 €1.29

75.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.77 €0.69

171.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.62 $8.62

$6.71 €5.97

28.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.70 $16.70

$5.67 €5.04

194.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.37 €1.22

27.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.11 €1.88

134.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.95 €3.51

24.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.05 €0.93

89.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.66 $29.66

$17.15 €15.26

72.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.19 €1.95

-57.53%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$33.8K €30.0K

-16.09%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.3K €34.0K

-30.89%

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

$158 $158

$164 €146

-3.39%

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

$55.0 $55.0

$18.48 €16.43

197.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.2 $61.2

$32.96 €29.32

85.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$45.87 €40.80

31.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.73 $40.73

$18.68 €16.61

118.04%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 $15.26

$9.75 €8.67

56.51%

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

$1,096 $1,096

$684 €608

60.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$17.6K €15.7K

43.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.92 $40.92

$104 €92.3

-60.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.67 $31.67

$46.20 €41.09

-31.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.8 $55.8

$99.7 €88.7

-44.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.2 $73.2

$125 €111

-41.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 $1,234

$1,589 €1,414

-22.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 $987

$1,169 €1,040

-15.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,864 $2,864

$2,851 €2,536

0.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 $1,486

$1,993 €1,773

-25.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,873 $1,873

$7,793 €6,932

-75.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,878 $1,878

$4,418 €3,930

-57.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,458 $3,458

$1,600 €1,423

116.13%

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 Tuscaloosa, AL: 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

Tuscaloosa, AL

$987 44.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 18.5% $182

Groceries & Markets

Tuscaloosa, AL

$455 20.7%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 40% $182

Eating Out

Tuscaloosa, AL

$290 13.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 14.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tuscaloosa, AL

$274 12.5%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 21.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Tuscaloosa, AL

$91 4.1%

Lisbon

$65 3% 28.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Tuscaloosa, AL

$91 4.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 85.7% $78

Getting Around

Tuscaloosa, AL

$15 * 0.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 323% $48

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 $1,234 in Tuscaloosa, AL and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tuscaloosa, AL pays 116% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73.0 in Tuscaloosa, AL vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $455 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tuscaloosa, AL

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

6 h ahead of Tuscaloosa, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,600

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

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Between locations

Tuscaloosa, AL Lisbon 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tuscaloosa, AL
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

Tuscaloosa, AL vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 116% higher in Tuscaloosa, AL, 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: $1,234 in Tuscaloosa, AL versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,096 in Tuscaloosa, AL 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 67% higher in Tuscaloosa, AL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,203 in Tuscaloosa, AL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Tuscaloosa, AL. 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, Tuscaloosa, AL 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.

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