Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asheville, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,016 in Asheville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Asheville, NC
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Asheville, NC Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Asheville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,016

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asheville, NC and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Asheville, NC and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,016 in Asheville, NC versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Asheville, NC $3,016
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,370 in Asheville, NC versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Asheville, NC $4,370
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,723 in Asheville, NC versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Asheville, NC $5,723
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Asheville, NC is roughly 36% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Asheville, NC 123% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.02 $21.02

$16.50 €14.67

27.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$61.3 €54.5

65.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 $11.02

$11.27 €10.03

-2.22%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$3.06 €2.72

94.12%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.26 €2.01

11.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.73 €1.54

12.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.39 €3.02

104.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.34 $9.34

$3.40 €3.02

174.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.12 €1.00

2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.86 €1.65

139.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.53 €1.36

189.54%

Eggs

$3.98 $3.98

$3.96 €3.53

0.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.73 $16.73

$12.76 €11.35

31.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.84 $13.84

$7.90 €7.02

75.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.20 $15.20

$16.97 €15.09

-10.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.27 €2.02

77.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.75 €1.55

-13.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.85 €1.64

120.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.57 €2.28

82.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.86 €1.65

27.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.02 €1.80

40.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.44 €1.28

72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.82 €0.73

165.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.82 $7.82

$6.56 €5.83

19.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$5.62 €5.00

164.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.28 €1.14

42.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.07 €1.84

144.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.35 €2.09

-13.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 $80.4

$44.18 €39.30

82.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 $4.40

$3.99 €3.55

10.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.09 €0.97

188.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.37 $34.37

$16.64 €14.81

106.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.28 €2.03

-57.02%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.1K $32.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

-4.61%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.3K $25.3K

$39.3K €35.0K

-35.51%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$180 $180

$167 €149

7.27%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$65.5 $65.5

$18.80 €16.72

248.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$108 $108

$33.09 €29.43

225.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.92 $36.92

$46.01 €40.93

-19.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.99 $18.99

$19.19 €17.07

-1.04%

Cinema Ticket

$12.76 $12.76

$9.84 €8.75

29.67%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,611 $2,611

$677 €602

285.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$55.5K $55.5K

$16.9K €15.1K

227.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.8 $64.8

$101 €90.1

-36.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$45.76 €40.70

9.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$100.0 €88.9

4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 $161

$123 €109

30.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,030 $2,030

$1,614 €1,436

25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 $1,556

$1,197 €1,065

30.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,132 $3,132

$2,862 €2,545

9.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,394 $2,394

$1,990 €1,770

20.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,340 $4,340

$7,577 €6,740

-42.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,251 $3,251

$4,307 €3,831

-24.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,659 $3,659

$1,588 €1,412

130.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

3.85

61.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Asheville, NC: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Asheville, NC

$1.6K 51.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 23.1% $359

Groceries & Markets

Asheville, NC

$421 14%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 36.1% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asheville, NC

$353 11.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 37.8% $133

Eating Out

Asheville, NC

$344 11.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 29.5% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Asheville, NC

$171 5.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 2.7% $4.6

Getting Around

Asheville, NC

$109 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 42% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Asheville, NC

$62 2.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 5.2% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,030 in Asheville, NC and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Asheville, NC pays 130% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $102 in Asheville, NC vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Asheville, NC

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

13:35 1:35 PM

5 h ahead of Asheville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,789

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Asheville, NC Lisbon 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Asheville, NC
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Asheville, NC vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asheville, NC and Lisbon differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($3,016 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 130% higher in Asheville, NC, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,030 in Asheville, NC versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 82% less than in Asheville, NC. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,611 in Asheville, NC versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,016 in Asheville, NC, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Asheville, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Asheville, NC and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Asheville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.