Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterbury, CT and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $5,098 in Waterbury, CT, rent and utilities included – about $34,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

247

Cost of Living Index in Waterbury, CT
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Waterbury, CT Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Waterbury, CT

🇺🇸 United States

$5,098

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $5,098 in Waterbury, CT versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Waterbury, CT $5,098
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,890 in Waterbury, CT versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Waterbury, CT $6,890
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,683 in Waterbury, CT versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Waterbury, CT $8,683
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Waterbury, CT is roughly 131% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waterbury, CT 275% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.49 $28.49

$16.65 €14.95

71.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.0 $95.0

$61.7 €55.5

53.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$11.36 €10.20

-18.66%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$2.97 €2.67

69.70%

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

$3.99 $3.99

$2.29 €2.06

74.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.74 €1.56

70.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$3.40 €3.06

130.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.19 $9.19

$3.31 €2.97

177.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.16 €1.04

18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$1.91 €1.72

168.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$1.51 €1.36

405.30%

Eggs

$6.13 $6.13

$4.02 €3.61

52.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$12.94 €11.62

48.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.69 $17.69

$7.77 €6.98

127.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.08 $19.08

$17.76 €15.95

7.43%

Apples (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$2.30 €2.07

196.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.73 €1.56

38.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$1.86 €1.67

249.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$2.59 €2.33

168.34%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.82 €1.64

131.87%

Onion (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.97 €1.77

139.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.47 €1.32

95.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.72 €0.65

270.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.23 $19.23

$6.58 €5.91

192.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.20 $15.20

$5.61 €5.04

170.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.36 €1.22

144.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.14 €1.92

91.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.33 €2.10

-24.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.1 $63.1

$44.68 €40.14

41.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.85 €3.46

-24.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.07 €0.96

98.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.23 $41.23

$16.46 €14.79

150.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.20 €1.98

-57.27%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$34.2K €30.7K

2.42%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$38.7K €34.8K

-32.10%

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

$217 $217

$161 €145

34.82%

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

$74.5 $74.5

$18.41 €16.54

304.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$32.74 €29.41

113.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 $52.2

$44.55 €40.02

17.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$21.97 $21.97

$9.60 €8.62

128.85%

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

$1,324 $1,324

$668 €600

98.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.7K $60.7K

$17.6K €15.8K

244.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.50 $40.50

$102 €91.6

-60.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$44.46 €39.94

3.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 $78.7

$98.5 €88.5

-20.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$124 €111

14.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 $1,834

$1,608 €1,445

14.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,464 $3,464

$1,190 €1,069

191.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 $2,563

$2,812 €2,526

-8.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,009 $5,009

$2,013 €1,808

148.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,490 $3,490

$1,575 €1,415

121.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.73

3.85

74.81%

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

Last update for Waterbury, CT: 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

Waterbury, CT

$3.5K 67.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 65.6% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

Waterbury, CT

$553 10.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 50.8% $281

Eating Out

Waterbury, CT

$402 7.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 39.6% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterbury, CT

$362 7.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 41.3% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Waterbury, CT

$138 2.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 20.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Waterbury, CT

$96 1.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 33.7% $32

Getting Around

Waterbury, CT

$84 1.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 24.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,834 in Waterbury, CT and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waterbury, CT pays about 2.2 times 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: $95 in Waterbury, CT vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $553 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waterbury, CT

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

4 h ahead of Waterbury, CT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,366

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

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Between locations

Waterbury, CT Lisbon 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Waterbury, CT vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $5,098 in Waterbury, CT and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Waterbury, CT is about 2.2 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: $1,834 in Waterbury, CT versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,324 in Waterbury, CT 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 103% higher in Waterbury, CT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $5,098 in Waterbury, CT, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Waterbury, CT. 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 57% less than in Waterbury, CT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.