Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukegan, IL and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,588 in Waukegan, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Waukegan, IL
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Waukegan, IL Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Waukegan, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,588

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,588 in Waukegan, IL versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Waukegan, IL $2,588
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,760 in Waukegan, IL versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Waukegan, IL $3,760
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,931 in Waukegan, IL versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Waukegan, IL $4,931
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Waukegan, IL is roughly 18% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waukegan, IL 91% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.80 $18.80

$17.04 €15.15

10.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$62.3 €55.4

18.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$11.02 €9.80

0.64%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.12 €2.78

61.54%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$2.27 €2.02

8.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.74 €1.55

12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.42 €3.04

78.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$3.74 €3.33

91.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.17 €1.04

-13.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.86 €1.66

84.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.54 €1.37

172.08%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$4.06 €3.61

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$12.91 €11.49

-3.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$7.90 €7.03

45.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$17.64 €15.69

-13.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.26 €2.01

118.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.75 €1.55

-10.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.89 €1.68

119.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.56 €2.27

79.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.85 €1.64

49.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.97 €1.75

45.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.45 €1.29

39.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.77 €0.69

170.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$6.71 €5.97

42.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$5.67 €5.04

143.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.37 €1.22

29.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.11 €1.88

55.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.32 €2.07

-15.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.95 €3.51

-10.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.05 €0.93

50.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.94 $28.94

$17.15 €15.26

68.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.19 €1.95

-58.45%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$33.8K €30.0K

-11.95%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$38.3K €34.0K

-33.11%

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

$188 $188

$164 €146

14.96%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$18.48 €16.43

180.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$32.96 €29.32

101.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$45.87 €40.80

-7.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 $13.37

$9.75 €8.67

37.13%

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

$1,314 $1,314

$684 €608

92.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$17.6K €15.7K

33.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$104 €92.3

-50.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 $40.19

$46.20 €41.09

-13.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$99.7 €88.7

-12.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$125 €111

-8.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 $1,631

$1,589 €1,414

2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$1,169 €1,040

17.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 $2,587

$2,851 €2,536

-9.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,235 $2,235

$1,993 €1,773

12.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,798 $2,798

$7,793 €6,932

-64.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,430 $2,430

$4,418 €3,930

-45.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

3.85

69.09%

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

Last update for Waukegan, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waukegan, IL

$1.4K 53.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 14.9% $204

Groceries & Markets

Waukegan, IL

$382 14.7%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 28.4% $108

Eating Out

Waukegan, IL

$307 11.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 19.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukegan, IL

$306 11.8%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 29.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Waukegan, IL

$132 5.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 27.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Waukegan, IL

$69 2.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 5.5% $3.8

Getting Around

Waukegan, IL

$19 * 0.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 226% $44

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 $1,631 in Waukegan, IL and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Waukegan, IL vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukegan, IL

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

04:56 4:56 AM

6 h ahead of Waukegan, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,321

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waukegan, IL Lisbon 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Waukegan, IL
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

Waukegan, IL vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waukegan, IL and Lisbon differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,588 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,882 in Waukegan, IL and $3,302 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,631 in Waukegan, IL versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Waukegan, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,588 per month in Waukegan, IL versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,588 in Waukegan, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Waukegan, IL. 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, Waukegan, IL 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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Waukegan, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.