✦ Compare
Houston 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.
Houston, TX vs Lisbon, PT at a glance — Lisbon, PT is 3% cheaper than Houston, TX overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,300/mo versus $1,400/mo. Top income tax: 48% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Lisbon, PT, you'd need
$72,632 / year
Lisbon, PT is 3% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Lisbon, PT vs Houston, TX)
- Housing+18%
- Food & groceries-4%
- Transport-31%
- Utilities-6%
- Healthcare-23%
- Goods & services-7%
◎ How Houston, TX and Lisbon, PT compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Houston, TX | Lisbon, PT | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 100 | 97 |
| Housing | 100 | 118 |
| Food | 96 | 92 |
| Transport | 102 | 70 |
| Utilities | 106 | 100 |
| Healthcare | 98 | 75 |
| Goods & services | 99 | 92 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,100/mo | $950/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,600/mo | $2,400/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $3,300 | $6,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,002 | $1,035 |
| Inexpensive meal | $16 | $12 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $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 | 45 | 60 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC+0 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 59 | 75 |
| Safety index | 48 | 68 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 76 |
| Pollution index | 50 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 48 | 82 |
| Public transport | 42 | 78 |
| Family-friendly | 62 | 66 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 82 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +12 °C | +11 °C |
| July avg | +30 °C | +23 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 204 | 260 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,260 mm | 725 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Portugal. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (US DOL (federal), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Houston vs Lisbon — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Houston
America's energy capital — cheap, diverse and spread out, with hot, humid summers.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ 12°C · ☀ 30°C · 204 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Montrose · The Heights · Midtown
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 Houston
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 Houston to Lisbon: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Houston to Lisbon, your cost of living will be roughly 3% cheaper. Lisbon’s cost-of-living index is 97 versus 100 for Houston (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Houston cheaper than Lisbon?
Lisbon is about 3% cheaper than Houston overall — its cost-of-living index is 97 versus 100 for Houston.
Which is more expensive, Houston or Lisbon?
Houston is more expensive than Lisbon. Its cost-of-living index is 100 vs 97 (US = 100) — about 3% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Houston or Lisbon?
Rent is cheaper in Lisbon — about $1,300/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,400 in Houston.
How much do you need to earn in Lisbon to live like in Houston?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Houston is worth about $72,632 in Lisbon. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Houston or Lisbon?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 48% in Portugal.
◷ More comparisons from Houston
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.