✦ Compare
Boston vs
Lisbon
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Boston, MA vs Lisbon, PT at a glance — Lisbon, PT is 13% cheaper than Boston, MA overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,300/mo versus $3,000/mo. Top income tax: 48% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Lisbon, PT, you'd need
$64,996 / year
Lisbon, PT is 13% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Lisbon, PT vs Boston, MA)
- Housing-22%
- Food & groceries+2%
- Transport-23%
- Utilities+5%
- Healthcare-23%
- Goods & services-4%
◎ How Boston, MA and Lisbon, PT compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Boston, MA | Lisbon, PT | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 111 | 97 |
| Housing | 152 | 118 |
| Food | 90 | 92 |
| Transport | 91 | 70 |
| Utilities | 95 | 100 |
| Healthcare | 98 | 75 |
| Goods & services | 96 | 92 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $3,000/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $2,300/mo | $950/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $5,500/mo | $2,400/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $11,000 | $6,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $897 | $1,035 |
| Inexpensive meal | $22 | $12 |
| Monthly transit pass | $90 | $45 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 48% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 23% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | — |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 21% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 28% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo✓ | $1,244/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $90,027✓ | $32,082✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 2.3%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | Native | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 80 | 60 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 | UTC+0 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 73 | 75 |
| Safety index | 62 | 68 |
| Healthcare index | 85 | 76 |
| Pollution index | 35 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 83 | 82 |
| Public transport | 75 | 78 |
| Family-friendly | 65 | 66 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $460/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 82 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | -1 °C | +11 °C |
| July avg | +23 °C | +23 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 260 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,100 mm | 725 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Portugal. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (US DOL (federal), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Boston vs Lisbon — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Boston
Historic, walkable and a global university and biotech hub — winters are long and rents are steep.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 62/100
- Climate
- ❄ -1°C · ☀ 23°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Back Bay · Cambridge · South End
Good to know before you move to Lisbon
Sunny, hilly and the poster child for the digital-nomad wave — locals feel priced out as rents climb.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Portuguese
- Time zone
- UTC+0
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 68/100
- Climate
- ❄ 11°C · ☀ 23°C · 260 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Alfama · Príncipe Real · Alcântara
Plan your move to Boston
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
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Plan your move to Lisbon
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Boston to Lisbon: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Boston to Lisbon, your cost of living will be roughly 13% cheaper. Lisbon’s cost-of-living index is 97 versus 111 for Boston (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Boston cheaper than Lisbon?
Lisbon is about 13% cheaper than Boston overall — its cost-of-living index is 97 versus 111 for Boston.
Which is more expensive, Boston or Lisbon?
Boston is more expensive than Lisbon. Its cost-of-living index is 111 vs 97 (US = 100) — about 14% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Boston or Lisbon?
Rent is cheaper in Lisbon — about $1,300/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $3,000 in Boston.
How much do you need to earn in Lisbon to live like in Boston?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Boston is worth about $64,996 in Lisbon. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Boston or Lisbon?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 48% in Portugal.
◷ More comparisons from Boston
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.