How the comparison works
The calculator builds a typical monthly budget for one person in each country, adds up the lines and takes the ratio between the two totals. Your own monthly spending is then multiplied by that ratio, so the answer reflects your level of spending rather than an average person's.
Cost in new country = your spending × (typical cost there ÷ typical cost at home)
For example, the typical moderate budget comes to about $3,190 a month in the United States and about $2,720 in Lisbon, so someone spending $3,200 a month in the US would need about $2,730 for the same life in Portugal. Rent in Lisbon has risen fast, which is why the gap is smaller than many people expect.
Reading the line-by-line table
Each row shows how one part of your budget changes. Prices do not move together: restaurant meals and taxis are often far cheaper in lower-cost countries, while imported groceries, electronics and cars can cost as much as at home or more. That is why the table is more useful than a single headline percentage when you plan a move.
Where the numbers come from
Rent is a typical asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the main city we list for each country, taken from 2026 listings and local market reports and converted to dollars at the exchange rate of October 28, 2026. Rent is the number that varies most from street to street, so the calculators let you change it whenever you have a better figure.
Everything else starts from a monthly budget for one person in the United States: about $450 for groceries, $250 for eating out, $200 for utilities, $90 for phone and internet, $300 for transport and $350 for clothes, personal care and fun. Each line is then scaled by the World Bank's International Comparison Program price levels for that type of spending, and brought forward from 2021 with the World Bank's latest price level data, so a country where restaurant meals cost a third of US prices gets a third of the eating-out budget.
These are planning estimates, not quotes. A lean budget uses 75% of the moderate one with cheaper rent, and a comfortable budget uses 150% with nicer rent. Visas, health insurance and flights are not included unless a calculator asks for them.
Common questions
Is Portugal cheaper than the US?
Yes, but by less than it used to be. A moderate single-person budget in Lisbon comes to about 15% less than the US average, mainly because Lisbon rents are now high.
Why do results differ from other cost of living sites?
Sites use different baskets and data. Ours uses World Bank price levels for each type of spending plus a typical 2026 rent, so it moves less with a few user reports.
Can I change the rent?
This tool uses typical city rents. If you already know your rent, the digital nomad runway and retire abroad calculators let you enter it directly.
Sources
This calculator gives estimates for planning. Real returns, rates and prices change, so treat the result as a guide rather than a promise. Read how we build and check our calculators.