Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chapel Hill, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,751 in Chapel Hill, NC, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Chapel Hill, NC
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Chapel Hill, NC Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Chapel Hill, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,751

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,751 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Chapel Hill, NC $2,751
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,302 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Chapel Hill, NC $4,302
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,852 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Chapel Hill, NC $5,852
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Chapel Hill, NC is roughly 25% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chapel Hill, NC 103% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.23 $18.23

$16.86 €15.02

8.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 $89.6

$61.0 €54.4

46.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$10.98 €9.78

-9.29%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$3.05 €2.72

59.67%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$2.28 €2.03

-14.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.68 €1.50

16.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.44 €3.06

72.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.91 €3.48

82.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.15 €1.02

0.87%

White Bread (500g)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.89 €1.68

150.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$1.50 €1.34

554.00%

Eggs

$5.53 $5.53

$4.12 €3.67

34.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.38 $18.38

$13.01 €11.59

41.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.82 $13.82

$8.04 €7.17

71.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.09 $27.09

$17.89 €15.94

51.43%

Apples (1kg)

$7.87 $7.87

$2.27 €2.02

246.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.74 €1.55

5.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$1.82 €1.62

281.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$2.69 €2.39

123.79%

Potato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.77 €1.57

176.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.94 €1.73

103.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.46 €1.30

85.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.76 €0.68

172.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.50 $8.50

$6.66 €5.93

27.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$5.64 €5.02

160.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.29 €1.15

26.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.14 €1.91

87.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.98 €3.55

-11.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.64 €0.57

98.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.04 $15.04

$18.93 €16.86

-20.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.28 €2.03

-55.26%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$33.4K €29.7K

-8.79%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.5K €34.3K

-30.82%

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

$225 $225

$158 €141

41.97%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$17.54 €15.62

189.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$31.18 €27.78

125.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.6 $77.6

$44.64 €39.77

73.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 $13.44

$9.58 €8.53

40.29%

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

$1,414 $1,414

$674 €600

109.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K $25.6K

$18.7K €16.7K

36.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.62 $39.62

$102 €91.0

-61.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.05 $31.05

$45.90 €40.89

-32.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$102 €91.0

-0.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$122 €109

13.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$1,641 €1,461

20.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,320 $1,320

$1,187 €1,058

11.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,250 $4,250

$2,825 €2,516

50.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,625 $2,625

$2,018 €1,798

30.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,090 $3,090

$7,836 €6,980

-60.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,516 $2,516

$4,701 €4,188

-46.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,980 $4,980

$1,687 €1,503

195.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

3.82

74.87%

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

Last update for Chapel Hill, NC: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chapel Hill, NC

$1.3K 48%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 10% $132

Groceries & Markets

Chapel Hill, NC

$538 19.6%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 49% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chapel Hill, NC

$346 12.6%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 40.1% $139

Eating Out

Chapel Hill, NC

$294 10.7%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 16.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Chapel Hill, NC

$140 5.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 19.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Chapel Hill, NC

$104 3.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 38.9% $41

Getting Around

Chapel Hill, NC

$9.9 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 513% $51

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 $1,971 in Chapel Hill, NC and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chapel Hill, NC pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Chapel Hill, NC vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $538 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chapel Hill, NC

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

5 h ahead of Chapel Hill, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,960

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chapel Hill, NC Lisbon 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chapel Hill, 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

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

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Chapel Hill, NC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Chapel Hill, NC is about 3 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: $1,971 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 96% higher in Chapel Hill, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,751 per month in Chapel Hill, NC versus $2,206 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Chapel Hill, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.