Cost of Living · PT vs US
🇵🇹 Lisbon vs 🇺🇸 New York: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,298 in Portugal vs $2,410 in United States — 85.73% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in United States
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 21.79%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 22.27%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 22.28%
Closest to Portugal prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +102.09%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +102.09%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +102.09%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Portugal | United States | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $866 | $1,750 | +102.09% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $693 | $1,400 | +102.09% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,583 | $3,200 | +102.09% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.36 | $18.00 | +73.75% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $43.15 | $75.00 | +73.81% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $6.65 | $11.00 | +65.41% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.74 | $1.10 | +48.65% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.14 | $3.20 | +49.53% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.27 | $3.40 | +49.78% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.69 | $10.00 | +49.48% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.68 | $4.00 | +49.25% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.21 | $4.80 | +49.53% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.03 | $12.00 | +49.44% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.34 | $2.00 | +49.25% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.45 | $6.00 | +73.91% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.54 | $8.00 | +22.32% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.88 | $5.00 | +73.61% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.54 | $2.30 | +49.35% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $39.32 | $65.00 | +65.31% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.66 | $2.75 | +65.66% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.30 | $4.00 | +73.91% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.04 | $1.80 | +73.08% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.78 | $0.95 | +21.79% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $121 | $200 | +65.29% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $42.35 | $70.00 | +65.29% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $27.23 | $45.00 | +65.26% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $28.77 | $50.00 | +73.79% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.05 | $14.00 | +73.91% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $17.26 | $30.00 | +73.81% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $44.98 | $55.00 | +22.28% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $73.61 | $90.00 | +22.27% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $144 | $250 | +73.8% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is United States than Portugal?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,410 in United States versus $1,298 in Portugal — 85.73% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in United States?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $6.00 in United States, versus about $3.45 in Portugal.
- How much is rent in United States compared to Portugal?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,750/month in United States versus $866/month in Portugal (+102.09%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.