Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Washington, DC and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,916 in Washington, DC, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

188

Cost of Living Index in Washington, DC
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Washington, DC Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Washington, DC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,916

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,916 in Washington, DC versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Washington, DC $3,916
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,027 in Washington, DC versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Washington, DC $6,027
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,138 in Washington, DC versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Washington, DC $8,138
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Washington, DC is roughly 77% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Washington, DC 188% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.10 $25.10

$16.65 €14.91

50.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 $109

$61.7 €55.3

76.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 $11.77

$11.36 €10.17

3.61%

Cappuccino

$5.96 $5.96

$2.97 €2.66

100.67%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$2.29 €2.05

41.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.74 €1.56

51.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.16 $9.16

$3.40 €3.05

169.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.92 $9.92

$3.31 €2.96

199.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.16 €1.04

15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.91 €1.71

117.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.11 $7.11

$1.51 €1.35

370.86%

Eggs

$5.57 $5.57

$4.02 €3.60

38.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.91 $16.91

$12.94 €11.59

30.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.11 $17.11

$7.77 €6.96

120.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 $18.48

$17.76 €15.91

4.05%

Apples (1kg)

$7.13 $7.13

$2.30 €2.06

210.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.73 €1.55

31.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$1.86 €1.66

168.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.97 $5.97

$2.59 €2.32

130.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.82 €1.63

53.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.97 €1.76

97.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.47 €1.32

81.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.72 €0.65

268.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 $13.78

$6.58 €5.90

109.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.26 $16.26

$5.61 €5.02

189.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.36 €1.22

145.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$2.14 €1.91

170.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.33 €2.09

28.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 $118

$44.68 €40.01

163.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.85 €3.45

2.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.07 €0.96

49.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.78 $24.78

$16.46 €14.74

50.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.20 €1.97

-50.00%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$34.2K €30.6K

2.69%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$38.7K €34.7K

-33.86%

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

$207 $207

$161 €144

28.33%

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

$80.6 $80.6

$18.41 €16.49

337.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.7 $76.7

$32.74 €29.32

134.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 $102

$44.55 €39.90

129.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$72.8 $72.8

$19.10 €17.10

281.05%

Cinema Ticket

$17.93 $17.93

$9.60 €8.60

86.77%

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

$2,990 $2,990

$668 €598

347.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.0K $42.0K

$17.6K €15.8K

138.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 $72.8

$102 €91.4

-28.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.32 $44.32

$44.46 €39.82

-0.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$98.5 €88.2

4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$124 €111

-0.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,768 $2,768

$1,608 €1,440

72.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,190 €1,066

85.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,965 $4,965

$2,812 €2,519

76.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,186 $4,186

$2,013 €1,803

107.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,626 $7,626

$7,839 €7,021

-2.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,793 $3,793

$4,576 €4,098

-17.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,454 $6,454

$1,575 €1,411

309.79%

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 Washington, DC: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Washington, DC

$2.2K 56.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 46% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Washington, DC

$516 13.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 47.2% $244

Eating Out

Washington, DC

$397 10.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 38.9% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Washington, DC

$364 9.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 41.7% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Washington, DC

$154 3.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 7.5% $12

Getting Around

Washington, DC

$142 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 55.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Washington, DC

$138 3.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 53.9% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,768 in Washington, DC and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Washington, DC pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $109 in Washington, DC vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $516 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Washington, DC

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

18:16 6:16 PM

5 h ahead of Washington, DC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Washington, DC Lisbon 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Washington, DC
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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

Washington, DC vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,916 in Washington, DC and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Washington, DC is about 4.1 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: $2,768 in Washington, DC versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,990 in Washington, DC 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 89% higher in Washington, DC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,916 in Washington, DC, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Washington, DC. 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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Washington, DC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.