Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carolina and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Carolina and in Lisbon: $2,264 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

110

Cost of Living Index in Carolina
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Carolina Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Carolina

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,264

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,264 in Carolina versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Carolina $2,264
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,131 in Carolina versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Carolina $3,131
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,998 in Carolina versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Carolina $3,998
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Carolina is roughly 2% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carolina 68% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.26 $13.26

$16.50 €14.67

-19.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 $54.5

$61.3 €54.5

-11.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.15 $10.15

$11.27 €10.03

-9.94%

Cappuccino

$3.18 $3.18

$3.06 €2.72

3.92%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$2.26 €2.01

29.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.73 €1.54

3.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.39 €3.02

-10.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.40 €3.02

46.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.12 €1.00

78.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.86 €1.65

86.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.53 €1.36

16.99%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$3.96 €3.53

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$12.76 €11.35

-44.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 $8.49

$7.90 €7.02

7.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 $12.71

$16.97 €15.09

-25.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.27 €2.02

36.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.75 €1.55

41.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.85 €1.64

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.57 €2.28

47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.86 €1.65

59.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.02 €1.80

65.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.44 €1.28

46.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.82 €0.73

151.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 $9.94

$6.56 €5.83

51.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.17 $18.17

$5.62 €5.00

223.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.28 €1.14

135.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.07 €1.84

143.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.35 €2.09

27.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.34 $40.34

$44.18 €39.30

-8.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.96 $49.96

$16.64 €14.81

200.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.28 €2.03

-48.25%

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

$40.4K $40.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

19.82%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-23.61%

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

$608 $608

$167 €149

263.08%

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

$50.4 $50.4

$18.80 €16.72

167.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.7 $78.7

$33.09 €29.43

137.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.42 $10.42

$46.01 €40.93

-77.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.86 $29.86

$19.19 €17.07

55.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 $8.02

$9.84 €8.75

-18.50%

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

$502 $502

$677 €602

-25.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,654 $9,654

$16.9K €15.1K

-42.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 $88.8

$101 €90.1

-12.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.82 $24.82

$45.76 €40.70

-45.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 $89.7

$100.0 €88.9

-10.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 $90.6

$123 €109

-26.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 $1,073

$1,614 €1,436

-33.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 $744

$1,197 €1,065

-37.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 $1,938

$2,862 €2,545

-32.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 $1,215

$1,990 €1,770

-38.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,462 $3,462

$7,577 €6,740

-54.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,312 $2,312

$4,307 €3,831

-46.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,991 $1,991

$1,588 €1,412

25.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

3.85

61.82%

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

Last update for Carolina: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carolina

$744 32.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 60.8% $453

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carolina

$737 32.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 70.2% $518

Groceries & Markets

Carolina

$352 15.6%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 23.6% $83

Eating Out

Carolina

$219 9.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 10.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Carolina

$132 5.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 25.8% $34

Getting Around

Carolina

$52 * 2.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 20.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Carolina

$26 1.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 148% $39

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 $1,073 in Carolina and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carolina pays 25% 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: $54.0 in Carolina vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Carolina

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

08:19 8:19 AM

5 h ahead of Carolina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,304

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

On the map

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Between locations

Carolina Lisbon 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Carolina
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

Carolina vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Carolina. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Carolina, 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: $1,073 in Carolina versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Carolina. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $54.0 in Carolina. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,264 in Carolina, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Carolina. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Carolina 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 2% less than in Carolina. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.