Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cary, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,871 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,871

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,871 in Cary, NC versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Cary, NC $2,871
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,202 in Cary, NC versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Cary, NC $4,202
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,532 in Cary, NC versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Cary, NC $5,532
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Cary, NC is roughly 30% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cary, NC 111% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 $19.79

$16.65 €14.91

18.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.7 €55.3

63.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 $10.32

$11.36 €10.17

-9.15%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$2.97 €2.66

71.38%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$2.29 €2.05

-7.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.74 €1.56

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.40 €3.05

29.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.34 $6.34

$3.31 €2.96

91.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.16 €1.04

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$5.52 $5.52

$1.91 €1.71

189.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$1.51 €1.35

290.73%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$4.02 €3.60

5.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.17 $18.17

$12.94 €11.59

40.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$7.77 €6.96

121.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 $17.71

$17.76 €15.91

-0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$6.00 $6.00

$2.30 €2.06

160.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.73 €1.55

8.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.86 €1.66

94.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$2.59 €2.32

157.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.82 €1.63

74.73%

Onion (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.97 €1.76

120.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.47 €1.32

92.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.72 €0.65

229.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 $9.89

$6.58 €5.90

50.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.22 $10.22

$5.61 €5.02

82.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.36 €1.22

67.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.14 €1.91

85.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.33 €2.09

9.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.9 $80.9

$44.68 €40.01

81.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.20 €1.97

-60.45%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$38.7K €34.7K

-24.52%

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

$184 $184

$161 €144

14.01%

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

$48.24 $48.24

$18.41 €16.49

162.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$32.74 €29.32

107.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 $77.0

$44.55 €39.90

72.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.39 $22.39

$19.10 €17.10

17.23%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$9.60 €8.60

56.88%

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

$1,466 $1,466

$668 €598

119.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$102 €91.4

-37.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.17 $32.17

$44.46 €39.82

-27.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$98.5 €88.2

21.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$124 €111

9.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,937 $1,937

$1,608 €1,440

20.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 $1,427

$1,190 €1,066

19.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 $2,639

$2,812 €2,519

-6.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$2,013 €1,803

7.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,869 $2,869

$7,839 €7,021

-63.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,638 $2,638

$4,576 €4,098

-42.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,077 $6,077

$1,575 €1,411

285.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

3.85

66.75%

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

Last update for Cary, NC: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 16.6% $237

Groceries & Markets

Cary, NC

$486 16.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 44% $214

Eating Out

Cary, NC

$301 10.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 19.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cary, NC

$300 10.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 29.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Cary, NC

$158 5.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.1% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Cary, NC

$107 3.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 40.5% $43

Getting Around

Cary, NC

$91 * 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 30.6% $28

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 $1,937 in Cary, NC and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Cary, NC vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

12:24 12:24 PM

5 h ahead of Cary, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,987

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cary, NC Lisbon 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cary, 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

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

Lisbon is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cary, NC is about 3.9 times higher, 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: $1,937 in Cary, NC versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,466 in Cary, NC versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.