Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Carteret, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,709 in Cape Carteret, NC, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cape Carteret, NC
🇺🇸 United States
$2,709
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Carteret, 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 Cape Carteret, NC and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,709 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Cape Carteret, NC $2,709
  • Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Cape Carteret, NC $3,716
  • Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $4,722 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Cape Carteret, NC $4,722
  • Lisbon $4,346

Cape Carteret, NC costs about 23% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Carteret, NC and Lisbon sit above the global median – Cape Carteret, NC by 100%, Lisbon by 62%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Carteret, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.95 $17.95
$17.04 €15.15
5.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.1 $89.1
$62.3 €55.4
43.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.15 $12.15
$11.02 €9.80
10.25%
Cappuccino
$5.91 $5.91
$3.12 €2.78
89.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 $2.78
$2.27 €2.02
22.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
$1.74 €1.55
18.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.04 $6.04
$3.42 €3.04
76.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.95 $6.95
$3.74 €3.33
85.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Carteret, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.17 €1.04
-11.11%
White Bread (500g)
$3.20 $3.20
$1.86 €1.66
72.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.30 $5.30
$1.54 €1.37
244.16%
Eggs
$4.82 $4.82
$4.06 €3.61
18.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.38 $10.38
$12.91 €11.49
-19.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.04 $10.04
$7.90 €7.03
27.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.65 $18.65
$17.64 €15.69
5.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.47 $2.47
$2.26 €2.01
9.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 $1.61
$1.75 €1.55
-8.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.94 $4.94
$1.89 €1.68
161.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.81 $5.81
$2.56 €2.27
126.95%
Potato (1kg)
$2.24 $2.24
$1.85 €1.64
21.08%
Onion (1kg)
$4.43 $4.43
$1.97 €1.75
124.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.45 €1.29
22.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 $2.33
$0.77 €0.69
202.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.47 $9.47
$6.71 €5.97
41.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.12 $12.12
$5.67 €5.04
113.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.84 $1.84
$1.37 €1.22
34.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$2.11 €1.88
0.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Carteret, NC
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.81 $1.81
$2.32 €2.07
-21.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.43 €39.52
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.61 $4.61
$3.95 €3.51
16.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 $1.32
$1.05 €0.93
25.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.14 $20.14
$17.15 €15.26
17.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.00 $1.00
$2.19 €1.95
-54.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K $27.7K
$33.8K €30.0K
-18.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K $26.3K
$38.3K €34.0K
-31.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Carteret, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$211 $211
$164 €146
29.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.8 $59.8
$18.48 €16.43
223.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.3 $67.3
$32.96 €29.32
104.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Carteret, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.20 $44.20
$45.87 €40.80
-3.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.68 €16.61
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.13 $9.13
$9.75 €8.67
-6.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Carteret, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,596 $1,596
$684 €608
133.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K $16.1K
$17.6K €15.7K
-8.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Carteret, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.0 $61.0
$104 €92.3
-41.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.26 $47.26
$46.20 €41.09
2.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 $116
$99.7 €88.7
16.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 $111
$125 €111
-11.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Carteret, NC
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,643 $1,643
$1,589 €1,414
3.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,446 $1,446
$1,169 €1,040
23.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,879 $2,879
$2,851 €2,536
1.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,870 $1,870
$1,993 €1,773
-6.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,119 $3,119
$7,793 €6,932
-59.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,615 $2,615
$4,418 €3,930
-40.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Carteret, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,600 €1,423
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
3.85
70.65%

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

Last update for Cape Carteret, NC: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Carteret, NC
$1.4K
Lisbon
$1.2K 19.1% $277
Groceries & Markets
Cape Carteret, NC
$379
Lisbon
$273 28% $106
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Carteret, NC
$338
Lisbon
$215 36.4% $123
Eating Out
Cape Carteret, NC
$314
Lisbon
$247 21.3% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Carteret, NC
$151
Lisbon
$168 11.7% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Carteret, NC
$62
Lisbon
$65 4.7% $2.9
Getting Around
Cape Carteret, NC
$18 *
Lisbon
$63 242% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,643 in Cape Carteret, NC versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Cape Carteret, NC versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $273 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Cape Carteret, NC
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
00:48 12:48 AM
05:48 5:48 AM
5 h ahead of Cape Carteret, NC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,000
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Carteret, NC Lisbon 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Carteret, 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
Cape Carteret, NC vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Cape Carteret, NC?
Yes – Cape Carteret, NC is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,064 per month in Cape Carteret, NC and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Cape Carteret, NC and in Lisbon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,709 in Cape Carteret, NC and $2,202 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 23%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,596 per month in Cape Carteret, NC and $684 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Cape Carteret, NC or in Lisbon?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Cape Carteret, NC at $2,709. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Carteret, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cape Carteret, NC or Lisbon more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Lisbon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Cape Carteret, NC or Lisbon?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Carteret, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Cape Carteret, NC vs other spots: cost of living compared

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