Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vacaville, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $3,635 in Vacaville, CA, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Vacaville, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,635
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,635 in Vacaville, CA versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

  • Vacaville, CA $3,635
  • Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,771 in Vacaville, CA versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

  • Vacaville, CA $4,771
  • Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,907 in Vacaville, CA versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Vacaville, CA $5,907
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Vacaville, CA is roughly 65% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vacaville, CA 168% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vacaville, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.25 $20.25
$17.04 €15.15
18.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.54 $45.54
$62.3 €55.4
-26.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.24 $13.24
$11.02 €9.80
20.15%
Cappuccino
$5.98 $5.98
$3.12 €2.78
91.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 $3.11
$2.27 €2.02
37.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 $2.75
$1.74 €1.55
58.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.13 $7.13
$3.42 €3.04
108.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.94 $6.94
$3.74 €3.33
85.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vacaville, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 $1.70
$1.17 €1.04
45.30%
White Bread (500g)
$4.83 $4.83
$1.86 €1.66
159.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.89 $4.89
$1.54 €1.37
217.53%
Eggs
$4.85 $4.85
$4.06 €3.61
19.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.50 $16.50
$12.91 €11.49
27.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.34 $15.34
$7.90 €7.03
94.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.83 $22.83
$17.64 €15.69
29.42%
Apples (1kg)
$6.09 $6.09
$2.26 €2.01
169.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.93 $1.93
$1.75 €1.55
10.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.06 $4.06
$1.89 €1.68
114.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.76 $6.76
$2.56 €2.27
164.06%
Potato (1kg)
$3.03 $3.03
$1.85 €1.64
63.78%
Onion (1kg)
$3.60 $3.60
$1.97 €1.75
82.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.80 $2.80
$1.45 €1.29
93.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 $2.63
$0.77 €0.69
241.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.09 $12.09
$6.71 €5.97
80.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.43 $14.43
$5.67 €5.04
154.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.08 $3.08
$1.37 €1.22
124.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.65 $3.65
$2.11 €1.88
72.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Vacaville, CA
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$2.32 €2.07
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.43 €39.52
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.26 $4.26
$3.95 €3.51
7.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.07 $2.07
$1.05 €0.93
97.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$38.61 $38.61
$17.15 €15.26
125.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 $1.51
$2.19 €1.95
-31.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K $34.8K
$33.8K €30.0K
2.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.0K $26.0K
$38.3K €34.0K
-32.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vacaville, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$211 $211
$164 €146
28.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$60.3 $60.3
$18.48 €16.43
226.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$76.8 $76.8
$32.96 €29.32
132.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vacaville, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.20 $45.20
$45.87 €40.80
-1.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.68 €16.61
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.82 $17.82
$9.75 €8.67
82.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vacaville, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,963 $2,963
$684 €608
333.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$43.1K $43.1K
$17.6K €15.7K
144.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vacaville, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.7 $74.7
$104 €92.3
-28.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.57 $48.57
$46.20 €41.09
5.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 $101
$99.7 €88.7
1.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$141 $141
$125 €111
12.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vacaville, CA
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,349 $2,349
$1,589 €1,414
47.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,179 $2,179
$1,169 €1,040
86.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,901 $2,901
$2,851 €2,536
1.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,865 $2,865
$1,993 €1,773
43.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,750 $3,750
$7,793 €6,932
-51.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,418 €3,930
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vacaville, CA
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,315 $5,315
$1,600 €1,423
232.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.76
3.85
75.58%

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

Last update for Vacaville, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Vacaville, CA
$2.2K
Lisbon
$1.2K 46.3% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Vacaville, CA
$502
Lisbon
$273 45.6% $229
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vacaville, CA
$348
Lisbon
$215 38.2% $133
Eating Out
Vacaville, CA
$346
Lisbon
$247 28.6% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Vacaville, CA
$164
Lisbon
$168 2.7% $4.3
Sport & Entertainment
Vacaville, CA
$81
Lisbon
$65 19.1% $15
Getting Around
Vacaville, CA
$15 *
Lisbon
$63 330% $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 $2,349 in Vacaville, CA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vacaville, CA pays 232% 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: $46.00 in Vacaville, CA vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $502 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Vacaville, CA
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
03:49 3:49 AM
11:49 11:49 AM
8 h ahead of Vacaville, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
100,670
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Vacaville, CA Lisbon 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Vacaville, 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
Vacaville, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Vacaville, CA and in Lisbon?
Vacaville, CA and Lisbon differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($3,635 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Vacaville, CA or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 232% higher in Vacaville, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Vacaville, CA and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,349 in Vacaville, CA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Vacaville, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Vacaville, CA or Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $3,635 per month in Vacaville, CA versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 65% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $3,635 in Vacaville, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Vacaville, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Vacaville, CA and Lisbon?
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.
Is Vacaville, CA or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Vacaville, CA 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.
Where should expats move: Vacaville, CA or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Vacaville, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Vacaville, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?