Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Worcester, MA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,799 in Worcester, MA, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Worcester, MA
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Worcester, MA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Worcester, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,799

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,799 in Worcester, MA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Worcester, MA $2,799
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,928 in Worcester, MA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Worcester, MA $3,928
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,057 in Worcester, MA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Worcester, MA $5,057
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Worcester, MA is roughly 27% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Worcester, MA 106% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 $22.27

$16.65 €14.92

33.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 $72.5

$61.7 €55.3

17.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$11.36 €10.18

3.79%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$2.97 €2.66

65.32%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$2.29 €2.05

4.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.74 €1.56

-4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.40 €3.05

73.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 $7.11

$3.31 €2.97

114.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.16 €1.04

2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.91 €1.71

93.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$1.51 €1.36

235.10%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$4.02 €3.60

-6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$12.94 €11.59

44.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 $10.86

$7.77 €6.97

39.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.47 $20.47

$17.76 €15.92

15.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.30 €2.06

58.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.73 €1.55

-19.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.86 €1.66

85.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.59 €2.32

89.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.82 €1.63

63.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.97 €1.76

66.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.47 €1.32

20.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.72 €0.65

109.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$6.58 €5.90

98.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 $12.12

$5.61 €5.02

116.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.36 €1.22

24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.14 €1.91

56.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.85 €3.45

31.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.07 €0.96

119.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.64 $35.64

$16.46 €14.75

116.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.20 €1.97

-51.82%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$34.2K €30.6K

-20.08%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.7K €34.7K

-31.71%

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

$190 $190

$161 €144

17.97%

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

$55.4 $55.4

$18.41 €16.50

200.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 $60.9

$32.74 €29.34

86.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.64 $33.64

$44.55 €39.92

-24.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.86 $29.86

$19.10 €17.11

56.34%

Cinema Ticket

$16.61 $16.61

$9.60 €8.60

73.02%

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

$1,694 $1,694

$668 €598

153.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.1K $44.1K

$17.6K €15.8K

150.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.11 $47.11

$102 €91.4

-53.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.58 $35.58

$44.46 €39.85

-19.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 $92.1

$98.5 €88.3

-6.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$124 €111

16.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,026 $2,026

$1,608 €1,441

25.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 $1,532

$1,190 €1,066

28.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,951 $2,951

$2,812 €2,520

4.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 $2,210

$2,013 €1,804

9.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,114 $3,114

$7,839 €7,025

-60.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,730 $2,730

$4,576 €4,100

-40.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,225 $4,225

$1,575 €1,411

168.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

3.85

64.42%

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

Last update for Worcester, MA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Worcester, MA

$1.5K 54.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 22.3% $342

Groceries & Markets

Worcester, MA

$401 14.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 32.1% $129

Eating Out

Worcester, MA

$332 11.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 27% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Worcester, MA

$306 11%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 30.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Worcester, MA

$143 5.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 15.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Worcester, MA

$67 2.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 4.7% $3.1

Getting Around

Worcester, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 276% $46

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 $2,026 in Worcester, MA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Worcester, MA pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Worcester, MA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Worcester, MA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

5 h ahead of Worcester, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

206,518

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

Worcester, MA Lisbon 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Worcester, MA
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

Worcester, MA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,799 in Worcester, MA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Worcester, MA is about 2.7 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: $2,026 in Worcester, MA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Worcester, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,799 per month in Worcester, MA versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Worcester, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.