Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Union City, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $4,061 in Union City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

197

Cost of Living Index in Union City, CA
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Union City, CA Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Union City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,061

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,061 in Union City, CA versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Union City, CA $4,061
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,023 in Union City, CA versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Union City, CA $6,023
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,984 in Union City, CA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Union City, CA $7,984
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Union City, CA is roughly 84% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Union City, CA 200% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 $22.36

$16.86 €15.00

32.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$61.0 €54.3

61.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 $13.26

$10.98 €9.77

20.77%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$3.05 €2.71

80.00%

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

$3.05 $3.05

$2.28 €2.03

33.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.68 €1.50

39.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 $8.21

$3.44 €3.06

138.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.12 $10.12

$3.91 €3.48

158.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.15 €1.02

9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.89 €1.68

139.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.50 €1.34

176.67%

Eggs

$5.96 $5.96

$4.12 €3.66

44.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.69 $19.69

$13.01 €11.57

51.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 $13.42

$8.04 €7.16

66.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.60 $8.60

$17.89 €15.92

-51.93%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.27 €2.02

123.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.74 €1.55

10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.82 €1.62

54.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.69 €2.39

63.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.77 €1.57

27.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.94 €1.72

56.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.46 €1.30

65.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.76 €0.68

226.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.01 $12.01

$6.66 €5.92

80.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.71 $15.71

$5.64 €5.02

178.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.29 €1.15

88.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.14 €1.90

57.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.98 €3.54

-12.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.64 €0.57

196.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.29 $30.29

$18.93 €16.84

60.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.28 €2.03

-33.33%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$33.4K €29.7K

-17.83%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$38.5K €34.3K

-30.25%

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

$274 $274

$158 €141

72.98%

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

$48.70 $48.70

$17.54 €15.61

177.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.0 $81.0

$31.18 €27.75

159.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.57 $42.57

$44.64 €39.73

-4.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

Cinema Ticket

$16.14 $16.14

$9.58 €8.52

68.48%

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

$1,799 $1,799

$674 €599

167.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.3K $42.3K

$18.7K €16.7K

125.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.31 $40.31

$102 €90.9

-60.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$45.90 €40.85

10.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$102 €91.0

-14.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$122 €109

-2.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,558 $3,558

$1,641 €1,460

116.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,646 $2,646

$1,187 €1,057

122.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,921 $4,921

$2,825 €2,514

74.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,867 $4,867

$2,018 €1,796

141.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,265 $7,265

$1,687 €1,501

330.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

3.82

78.53%

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

Last update for Union City, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Union City, CA

$2.6K 65.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 55.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Union City, CA

$423 10.4%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 35.1% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union City, CA

$403 9.9%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 48.7% $196

Eating Out

Union City, CA

$368 9.1%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 33.3% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Union City, CA

$134 3.3%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 25.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Union City, CA

$75 1.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 14.8% $11

Getting Around

Union City, CA

$13 * 0.3%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 365% $47

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 $3,558 in Union City, CA and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Union City, CA pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Union City, CA vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $423 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union City, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

02:10 2:10 AM

8 h ahead of Union City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,930

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Union City, CA Lisbon 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Union City, CA
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

Union City, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,061 in Union City, CA and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Union City, CA is about 4.3 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: $3,558 in Union City, CA versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Union City, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $4,061 per month in Union City, CA versus $2,206 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,206 in Lisbon versus $4,061 in Union City, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Union City, CA. 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, Union City, CA and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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