Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wausau, WI and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Wausau, WI: $1,756 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Wausau, WI
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Wausau, WI Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Wausau, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,756

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,756 in Wausau, WI versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Wausau, WI $1,756
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,748 in Wausau, WI versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Wausau, WI $2,748
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,740 in Wausau, WI versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Wausau, WI $3,740
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Wausau, WI costs roughly 20% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wausau, WI 30% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 $20.20

$17.04 €15.15

18.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$62.3 €55.4

19.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.58 $8.58

$11.02 €9.80

-22.14%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$3.12 €2.78

60.58%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$2.27 €2.02

25.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.74 €1.55

16.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 $5.62

$3.42 €3.04

64.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 $5.60

$3.74 €3.33

49.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.17 €1.04

-29.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.86 €1.66

48.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.54 €1.37

244.81%

Eggs

$4.44 $4.44

$4.06 €3.61

9.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$12.91 €11.49

-33.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$7.90 €7.03

-17.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 $13.53

$17.64 €15.69

-23.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.26 €2.01

82.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.75 €1.55

-17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.89 €1.68

102.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.56 €2.27

61.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.85 €1.64

-3.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.97 €1.75

23.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.45 €1.29

52.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.77 €0.69

33.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 $8.35

$6.71 €5.97

24.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.96 $8.96

$5.67 €5.04

58.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.37 €1.22

44.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.11 €1.88

4.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.95 €3.51

-31.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.05 €0.93

54.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.12 $21.12

$17.15 €15.26

23.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.19 €1.95

-63.01%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$33.8K €30.0K

-0.82%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$38.3K €34.0K

-32.94%

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

$160 $160

$164 €146

-2.37%

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

$66.5 $66.5

$18.48 €16.43

259.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$32.96 €29.32

116.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.10 $30.10

$45.87 €40.80

-34.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 $6.03

$9.75 €8.67

-38.15%

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

$1,855 $1,855

$684 €608

171.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$17.6K €15.7K

39.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.25 $25.25

$104 €92.3

-75.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.16 $40.16

$46.20 €41.09

-13.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 $64.0

$99.7 €88.7

-35.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 $84.8

$125 €111

-31.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 $939

$1,589 €1,414

-40.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 $699

$1,169 €1,040

-40.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 $1,548

$2,851 €2,536

-45.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 $1,361

$1,993 €1,773

-31.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,774 $1,774

$7,793 €6,932

-77.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,809 $1,809

$4,418 €3,930

-59.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,488 $3,488

$1,600 €1,423

118.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

3.85

72.73%

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

Last update for Wausau, WI: 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

Wausau, WI

$699 39.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 67.2% $470

Eating Out

Wausau, WI

$306 17.4%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 19.2% $59

Groceries & Markets

Wausau, WI

$303 17.3%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 9.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wausau, WI

$298 17%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 27.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Wausau, WI

$96 5.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 74.7% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Wausau, WI

$42 2.4%

Lisbon

$65 3% 55.1% $23

Getting Around

Wausau, WI

$11 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 480% $52

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 $939 in Wausau, WI and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wausau, WI pays 118% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $75.0 in Wausau, WI vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wausau, WI

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

05:48 5:48 AM

6 h ahead of Wausau, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,435

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

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Between locations

Wausau, WI Lisbon 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Wausau, WI
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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

Wausau, WI vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wausau, WI and Lisbon differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,756 vs $2,202 including rent). Wausau, WI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 118% higher in Wausau, WI, 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: $939 in Wausau, WI versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,756 per month in Wausau, WI versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,756 in Wausau, WI versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wausau, WI but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Wausau, WI 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, Wausau, WI 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 Wausau, WI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.