Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carbondale, IL and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Carbondale, IL: $1,759 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Carbondale, IL
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Carbondale, IL Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Carbondale, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,759

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Carbondale, IL versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Carbondale, IL $1,759
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,131 in Carbondale, IL versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Carbondale, IL $2,131
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,503 in Carbondale, IL versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Carbondale, IL $2,503
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Carbondale, IL costs roughly 20% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carbondale, IL 30% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.85 $17.85

$17.04 €15.15

4.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.28 $38.28

$62.3 €55.4

-38.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 $9.16

$11.02 €9.80

-16.88%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$3.12 €2.78

64.10%

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

$2.29 $2.29

$2.27 €2.02

0.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.74 €1.55

11.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.42 €3.04

34.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$3.74 €3.33

119.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.17 €1.04

-21.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.86 €1.66

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.54 €1.37

167.53%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$4.06 €3.61

-8.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$12.91 €11.49

2.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$7.90 €7.03

45.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 $18.80

$17.64 €15.69

6.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.26 €2.01

147.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.75 €1.55

2.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$1.89 €1.68

213.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.56 €2.27

91.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.85 €1.64

-12.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.97 €1.75

21.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.45 €1.29

82.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.77 €0.69

180.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.04 $9.04

$6.71 €5.97

34.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 $13.13

$5.67 €5.04

131.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.37 €1.22

24.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.11 €1.88

-24.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.95 €3.51

-48.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.05 €0.93

32.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.64 $19.64

$17.15 €15.26

14.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.19 €1.95

-52.97%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$33.8K €30.0K

-18.55%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$38.3K €34.0K

-28.69%

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

$185 $185

$164 €146

13.12%

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

$85.5 $85.5

$18.48 €16.43

362.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.6 $75.6

$32.96 €29.32

129.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$9.75 €8.67

22.26%

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

$1,702 $1,702

$684 €608

148.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$17.6K €15.7K

39.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.99 $46.99

$104 €92.3

-54.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.23 $33.23

$46.20 €41.09

-28.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 $83.1

$99.7 €88.7

-16.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$125 €111

20.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 $656

$1,589 €1,414

-58.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 $554

$1,169 €1,040

-52.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$994 $994

$7,793 €6,932

-87.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,003 $1,003

$4,418 €3,930

-77.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,801 $3,801

$1,600 €1,423

137.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

3.85

71.43%

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

Last update for Carbondale, IL: 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

Carbondale, IL

$554 31.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 111% $615

Groceries & Markets

Carbondale, IL

$396 22.5%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 31.1% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carbondale, IL

$346 19.7%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 37.9% $131

Eating Out

Carbondale, IL

$288 16.4%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 14.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Carbondale, IL

$141 8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 19.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Carbondale, IL

$24 * 1.4%

Lisbon

$65 3% 174% $42

Getting Around

Carbondale, IL

$9 * 0.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 601% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $656 in Carbondale, IL and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carbondale, IL pays 138% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38.00 in Carbondale, IL vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $396 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Carbondale, IL

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

6 h ahead of Carbondale, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,881

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

Carbondale, IL Lisbon 6,750 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Carbondale, IL
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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

Carbondale, IL vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carbondale, IL wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Carbondale, IL the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 138% higher in Carbondale, IL, 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: $656 in Carbondale, IL versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 45% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,759 per month in Carbondale, IL versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,759 in Carbondale, IL versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Carbondale, IL but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Carbondale, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Carbondale, IL delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,759 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Carbondale, IL hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Carbondale, IL 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 Carbondale, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.