Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Virginia Beach, VA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,871 in Virginia Beach, VA, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Virginia Beach, VA
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Virginia Beach, VA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Virginia Beach, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,871

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,871 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Virginia Beach, VA $2,871
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,064 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Virginia Beach, VA $4,064
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,257 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Virginia Beach, VA $5,257
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Virginia Beach, VA 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: Virginia Beach, VA 111% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.35 $18.35

$16.65 €14.95

10.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 $90.9

$61.7 €55.5

47.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$11.36 €10.20

7.57%

Cappuccino

$6.00 $6.00

$2.97 €2.67

102.02%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$2.29 €2.06

22.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.74 €1.56

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.40 €3.06

77.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 $7.19

$3.31 €2.97

117.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.16 €1.04

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.91 €1.72

61.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$1.51 €1.36

262.25%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$4.02 €3.61

17.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$12.94 €11.62

-18.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 $9.62

$7.77 €6.98

23.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.16 $18.16

$17.76 €15.95

2.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.30 €2.07

9.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.73 €1.56

-6.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$1.86 €1.67

175.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.59 €2.33

122.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.82 €1.64

25.27%

Onion (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.97 €1.77

128.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.47 €1.32

21.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.72 €0.65

229.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.57 $9.57

$6.58 €5.91

45.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 $12.18

$5.61 €5.04

117.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.36 €1.22

28.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.14 €1.92

2.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.33 €2.10

-12.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.8 $70.8

$44.68 €40.14

58.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 $4.56

$3.85 €3.46

18.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.07 €0.96

23.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 $19.82

$16.46 €14.79

20.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.20 €1.98

-53.64%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.2K €30.7K

-20.60%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$38.7K €34.8K

-33.41%

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

$208 $208

$161 €145

28.76%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$18.41 €16.54

224.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$32.74 €29.41

104.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.57 $25.57

$44.55 €40.02

-42.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.66 $35.66

$19.10 €17.16

86.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.49 $9.49

$9.60 €8.62

-1.15%

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

$1,620 $1,620

$668 €600

142.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$17.6K €15.8K

-8.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 $61.8

$102 €91.6

-39.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.94 $47.94

$44.46 €39.94

7.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$98.5 €88.5

19.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$124 €111

-8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 $1,966

$1,608 €1,445

22.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$1,190 €1,069

30.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,867 $2,867

$2,812 €2,526

1.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 $2,246

$2,013 €1,808

11.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 $2,706

$7,839 €7,042

-65.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,334 $2,334

$4,576 €4,110

-48.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,353 $4,353

$1,575 €1,415

176.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

3.85

70.65%

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

Last update for Virginia Beach, VA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Virginia Beach, VA

$1.6K 54.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 23.4% $363

Groceries & Markets

Virginia Beach, VA

$377 13.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 27.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Virginia Beach, VA

$334 11.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 36.5% $122

Eating Out

Virginia Beach, VA

$320 11.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 24.1% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Virginia Beach, VA

$153 5.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.2% $13

Getting Around

Virginia Beach, VA

$90 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 29.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Virginia Beach, VA

$45 1.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 43% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,966 in Virginia Beach, VA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Virginia Beach, VA pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Virginia Beach, VA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $377 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Virginia Beach, VA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

22:55 10:55 PM

4 h ahead of Virginia Beach, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

459,470

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Virginia Beach, VA Lisbon 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Virginia Beach, VA
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

Virginia Beach, VA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,871 in Virginia Beach, VA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Virginia Beach, VA is about 2.8 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: $1,966 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,620 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Virginia Beach, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Virginia Beach, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.