Austin, TX vs Lisbon
A $92,939 salary — Austin's median household income — nets $74,213 after federal, FICA and state/local tax in Austin. The same salary earned in Lisbon would net €44,200 (~$51,007) — about $51,007 at today's exchange rate.
Moving from Austin to Lisbon
Same salary, two tax systems. Single filer, employment income.
Both tables, the exchange-rate line and the FEIE estimate update as you type.
How to read this: we take the salary above ($92,939), convert it at the ECB rate, and tax it as a single filer's employment income in each place. That favors simplicity over realism — household vs. individual income and family tax treatment differ by country — so treat the gap as directional, not precise.
| Austin, TX | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross salary | $92,939 |
| Federal tax | $11,617 |
| FICA | $7,110 |
| State & local tax | $0 |
| Take-home | $74,213 |
| Same salary, taxed in Lisbon | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross salary (local) | €80,536 |
| Income tax | €27,477 |
| Social contributions | €8,859 |
| Take-home | €44,200 (~$51,007) |
National (mainland/continente) IRS rates only. Portugal has no municipal surtax on personal income tax -- the municipal 'derrama' surcharge that varies by city (e.g. Lisbon at 1.5%) applies only to corporate income tax (IRC), not to individuals. A separate national solidarity surcharge (taxa adicional de solidariedade) of 2.5% on taxable income above roughly EUR80,000 and 5% above roughly EUR250,000 is excluded from these brackets since it affects only high earners.
Single filer, employment income — figures are estimates, not advice. US FICA is applied as a flat 7.65% with no Social Security wage-base cap, which overstates FICA above roughly $176k. See methodology.
Moving from Lisbon to Austin
Flip it around: a Lisbon earner relocating to Austin on the same $92,939 salary would keep $74,213 after US federal, FICA and state/local tax — but health cover in the US runs $6,800/year against €420/year in Lisbon, so employer-sponsored coverage becomes essential rather than optional.
The basics, priced side by side
| Category | Austin (USD/yr) | Lisbon (local/yr) | Lisbon (USD/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing (1-bed rent) US side: metro median rent; world side: 1-bed city-centre | $19,620 | €15,000 | $17,310 |
| Groceries US side: sitewide household grocery baseline; Lisbon side: single-person estimate | $4,647 | €3,000 | $3,462 |
| Electricity Reflects local AC/heating norms | $1,836 | €720 | $831 |
| Getting around US side: car-based (gas, insurance, registration); world side: monthly transit pass | $3,675 | €480 | $554 |
| Health cover See the healthcare section — the systems differ, not just the prices | $6,800 | €420 | $485 |
| Broadband | $996 | €360 | $415 |
US tax basics for an expat
Under the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, the first $92,939 of foreign earnings is excludable from US federal tax; at this salary, estimated residual US federal tax is $0 — this ignores tax treaties and the stacking rule, and is an estimate, not advice.
These are Lisbon's own lifestyle notes — the same panel shown on its city page; metro-side equivalents are planned.
Living in Lisbon: what to expect
Climate & air conditioning
Lisbon's Mediterranean climate brings dry summers with highs around 27C and mild, wet winters that rarely dip below 8C, but comfort indoors is another story: roughly 83% of Portuguese homes have no air conditioning at all, so most Lisboetas ride out August with fans, shutters and open windows at night rather than central air.
- Summer high c:
- 27
- Winter low c:
- 8
- AC prevalence homes:
- 17%
- Climate type:
- Mediterranean (Koppen Csa)
Healthcare
Legal residents register with the public SNS for subsidized care with no waiting period tied to arrival date, but non-urgent specialist waits can run long, so most working expats also carry private cover -- typically EUR20-50 a month -- to get faster appointments at networks like CUF or Hospital da Luz.
- Life expectancy at birth:
- 82.4 years, Portugal national average -- World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024
- Public system:
- SNS (Servico Nacional de Saude)
- Residency wait:
- none tied to arrival date for legal residents
- Typical private cover EUR:
- 20-50/month
- Major private networks:
- CUF, Hospital da Luz
Getting around
The four-line, 56-station Metro covers the core well and the century-old Tram 28 still climbs the Alfama hills, but a single EUR40 Navegante Metropolitano pass covers the Metro, Carris buses and trams, and the Fertagus/CP commuter trains across the whole metro area -- rare value that makes car ownership optional for most residents inside the city.
- Metro lines:
- 4
- Metro stations:
- 56
- Metro track km:
- 44.5
- Iconic tram:
- Tram 28
- Metropolitan pass EUR:
- 40
Taxes & paperwork
Portugal's national IRS brackets top out at 48%, with a 23% VAT baked into everyday prices; the broad NHR tax holiday that once drew remote workers with a flat 20% rate closed to new applicants on 1 January 2024, replaced by the IFICI ("NHR 2.0") regime that now applies only to qualifying scientific-research and innovation roles.
- Top income tax rate:
- 48%
- VAT rate:
- 23%
- Nhr status:
- closed to new applicants since 1 Jan 2024, replaced by narrower IFICI regime
- Municipal surtax:
- Lisbon 1.5% derrama, corporate income tax only
Housing norms
Portuguese listings use the "T" system (T0 studio, T1 one-bed, T2 two-bed) rather than square footage, and much of central Lisbon's housing stock sits in five- and six-story pombaline or gaioleiro buildings from the 1800s-1930s -- charming but often without elevators or double glazing until renovated.
- Foreign ownership:
- no nationality-based restriction -- non-residents buy freehold on the same terms as Portuguese nationals, needing only an NIF. Note the residency angle changed: the Mais Habitacao reform removed real-estate purchase as a qualifying Golden Visa route in October 2023, so buying a home no longer buys a path to residency
- Unit size convention:
- T0 studio, T1 one-bed, T2 two-bed
- Typical t1 size m2:
- 45-55
- Building stock:
- pombaline/gaioleiro walk-ups (1800s-1930s) alongside modern renovations
- AC prevalence homes:
- 17%
Safety
Numbeo's crowd-sourced index put Lisbon's safety score at roughly 67 out of 100 as of August 2026 -- petty theft and pickpocketing in tourist areas like Baixa and on the trams is the main real risk, while violent crime stays rare enough that walking at night in most neighborhoods draws little concern.
- Numbeo safety index:
- 67.04
- Numbeo crime index:
- 32.96
- Data as of:
- 2026-08
- Main risk:
- pickpocketing/petty theft in tourist areas
Language
Portugal ranked 6th worldwide in the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index, scoring 612 of 800 against a global average of 488, and in Lisbon's tourism, tech and hospitality sectors English gets you through daily life -- though bureaucracy at Financas, AIMA and utility sign-ups still runs in Portuguese and rewards at least survival-level fluency.
- Official language:
- Portuguese
- Ef epi rank2025:
- 6
- Ef epi score:
- 612
- English in service sector:
- widespread in tourism, tech and hospitality
Internet & connectivity
Fibre is cheap and fast by American standards -- Digi's network averaged 224.9 Mb/s download over the past year and a plain fibre-only line from MEO, NOS or Vodafone runs about EUR30/month -- which is part of why Lisbon built a real coworking and digital-nomad scene around the D8 remote-work visa.
- Fastest isp mbps:
- 224.9
- Fastest isp:
- Digi
- Fibre only list price EUR:
- 30
- Digital nomad visa:
- D8
Visas & residency
The D7 (passive income) and D8 (remote work) visas are the two main US-citizen routes in, requiring roughly EUR920 or EUR3,680 a month respectively tied to Portugal's minimum wage; both lead toward the same prize -- Portuguese, and therefore EU, citizenship after five years of legal residency, one of the fastest naturalization tracks in Western Europe.
- D7 min income EUR:
- 920/month (2026 minimum wage)
- D8 min income EUR:
- 3680/month (4x minimum wage)
- Typical processing months:
- 2-3, longer amid AIMA backlogs
- Citizenship track:
- 5 years legal residency
Everyday life
Dinner reservations after 9pm are normal, a bica (espresso) at the counter still runs under a euro in most neighborhoods, and a mid-range restaurant meal averages around EUR27-30 per person -- cheap enough next to US prices that eating out several times a week barely dents a Lisbon budget funded by a remote US salary.
- Dinner norm:
- reservations after 9pm common
- Bica price EUR:
- 0.80-1.00
- Supermarket chains:
- Pingo Doce, Continente, Lidl
- Meal out mid EUR:
- 27.5
Converted at ECB reference rates of 2026-08-11. Every Lisbon figure is cited on the Lisbon page.