Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vista, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,302 in Vista, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Vista, CA
Learn more

Vista, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Vista, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,302

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,302 in Vista, CA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Vista, CA $3,302
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,957 in Vista, CA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Vista, CA $4,957
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,611 in Vista, CA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Vista, CA $6,611
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Vista, CA is roughly 49% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vista, CA 143% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.91 $19.91

$16.65 €14.85

19.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.4 $73.4

$61.7 €55.1

18.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.06 $13.06

$11.36 €10.13

14.96%

Cappuccino

$6.25 $6.25

$2.97 €2.65

110.44%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$2.29 €2.04

29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.74 €1.55

11.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.71 $7.71

$3.40 €3.04

126.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 $8.25

$3.31 €2.95

149.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.16 €1.03

-6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.91 €1.71

106.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.51 €1.35

207.28%

Eggs

$3.64 $3.64

$4.02 €3.59

-9.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 $9.02

$12.94 €11.54

-30.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.19 $11.19

$7.77 €6.94

44.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 $15.36

$17.76 €15.85

-13.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.30 €2.06

112.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.73 €1.55

-4.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$1.86 €1.66

197.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.59 €2.31

-17.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$1.82 €1.62

101.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.97 €1.76

13.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.47 €1.31

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.72 €0.65

163.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.53 $9.53

$6.58 €5.87

44.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.82 $14.82

$5.61 €5.00

164.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.36 €1.22

46.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.14 €1.91

92.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.33 €2.08

9.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.20 $6.20

$3.85 €3.43

61.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$2.20 €1.96

-41.36%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$34.2K €30.5K

-15.78%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$38.7K €34.5K

-29.56%

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

$169 $169

$161 €144

4.99%

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

$67.7 $67.7

$18.41 €16.43

267.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 $58.3

$32.74 €29.21

78.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.02 $44.02

$44.55 €39.74

-1.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$11.97 $11.97

$9.60 €8.56

24.69%

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

$1,900 $1,900

$668 €596

184.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 $56.8

$102 €91.0

-44.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.06 $40.06

$44.46 €39.67

-9.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 $93.8

$98.5 €87.9

-4.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$124 €110

15.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,424 $2,424

$1,608 €1,435

50.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 $2,051

$1,190 €1,062

72.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,781 $3,781

$2,812 €2,509

34.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,825 $3,825

$2,013 €1,796

89.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,670 $5,670

$7,839 €6,994

-27.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,531 $5,531

$4,576 €4,082

20.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,079 $4,079

$1,575 €1,405

159.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

3.85

65.97%

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

Last update for Vista, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vista, CA

$2.1K 62.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 42% $861

Groceries & Markets

Vista, CA

$374 11.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 27.1% $101

Eating Out

Vista, CA

$348 10.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 30.3% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vista, CA

$295 8.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 28.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Vista, CA

$150 4.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 10.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Vista, CA

$68 2.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 6.2% $4.2

Getting Around

Vista, CA

$16 * 0.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 285% $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 $2,424 in Vista, CA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vista, CA pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Vista, CA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $374 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Vista, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

01:07 1:07 AM

8 h ahead of Vista, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,381

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vista, CA Lisbon 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Vista, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,302 in Vista, CA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Vista, CA is about 2.6 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: $2,424 in Vista, CA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Vista, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,302 per month in Vista, CA versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,302 in Vista, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Vista, 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, Vista, 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, Vista, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.