Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleroi and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Charleroi: $2,041 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Charleroi, Belgium
Lisbon, Portugal
Charleroi
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,041
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,041 in Charleroi versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Charleroi $2,041
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,937 in Charleroi versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Charleroi $2,937
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,833 in Charleroi versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Charleroi $3,833
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Charleroi costs roughly 8% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Charleroi 50% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Charleroi
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.95 €19.72
$16.65 €14.95
31.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.4 €74.0
$61.7 €55.5
33.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.56 €12.18
$11.36 €10.20
19.37%
Cappuccino
$3.01 €2.70
$2.97 €2.67
1.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 €1.98
$2.29 €2.06
-3.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 €1.95
$1.74 €1.56
24.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.31 €2.97
$3.40 €3.06
-2.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.11 €3.69
$3.31 €2.97
24.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Charleroi
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 €1.06
$1.16 €1.04
1.72%
White Bread (500g)
$2.45 €2.20
$1.91 €1.72
28.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 €2.00
$1.51 €1.36
47.02%
Eggs
$4.00 €3.59
$4.02 €3.61
-0.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.52 €14.84
$12.94 €11.62
27.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.01 €10.79
$7.77 €6.98
54.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.11 €19.86
$17.76 €15.95
24.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.62 €2.35
$2.30 €2.07
13.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 €2.03
$1.73 €1.56
30.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.67 €2.40
$1.86 €1.67
43.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.41 €3.06
$2.59 €2.33
31.66%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 €1.86
$1.82 €1.64
13.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 €1.03
$1.97 €1.77
-42.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.47 €1.32
-7.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 €0.61
$0.72 €0.65
-5.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.74 €11.45
$6.58 €5.91
93.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.75 €7.86
$5.61 €5.04
55.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.36 €1.22
27.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 €1.79
$2.14 €1.92
-7.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Charleroi
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.93 €2.64
$2.33 €2.10
25.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.93 €37.67
$44.68 €40.14
-6.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.56 €4.99
$3.85 €3.46
44.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.60 €2.34
$1.07 €0.96
142.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$44.93 €40.36
$16.46 €14.79
172.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.64
$2.20 €1.98
-17.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.7K €26.7K
$34.2K €30.7K
-13.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.3K €29.0K
$38.7K €34.8K
-16.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Charleroi
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$208 €187
$161 €145
29.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.83 €19.61
$18.41 €16.54
18.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.70 €41.95
$32.74 €29.41
42.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Charleroi
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.51 €28.30
$44.55 €40.02
-29.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.27 €25.39
$19.10 €17.16
48.01%
Cinema Ticket
$15.79 €14.19
$9.60 €8.62
64.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Charleroi
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,619 €1,455
$668 €600
142.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.8K
$17.6K €15.8K
-6.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Charleroi
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 €103
$102 €91.6
12.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.0 €47.60
$44.46 €39.94
19.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 €81.4
$98.5 €88.5
-8.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.5 €81.3
$124 €111
-26.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Charleroi
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$799 €718
$1,608 €1,445
-50.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$834 €749
$1,190 €1,069
-29.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,043 €937
$2,812 €2,526
-62.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,052 €945
$2,013 €1,808
-47.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 €2,593
$7,839 €7,042
-63.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,941 €2,642
$4,576 €4,110
-35.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Charleroi
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,251 €2,022
$1,575 €1,415
42.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.53
3.85
-8.31%

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

Last update for Charleroi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Charleroi
$834
Lisbon
$1.2K 42.8% $356
Groceries & Markets
Charleroi
$344
Lisbon
$272 20.8% $71
Eating Out
Charleroi
$295
Lisbon
$243 17.7% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Charleroi
$277
Lisbon
$212 23.2% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Charleroi
$157
Lisbon
$166 5.8% $9.1
Getting Around
Charleroi
$72
Lisbon
$63 12.5% $9
Sport & Entertainment
Charleroi
$63
Lisbon
$64 1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $799 in Charleroi and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charleroi pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $82 in Charleroi vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Charleroi
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
21:47 9:47 PM
20:47 8:47 PM
1 h behind Charleroi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
202,730
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Charleroi Lisbon 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Charleroi
  • 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
Charleroi vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Charleroi and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,041 in Charleroi and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Charleroi is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Charleroi or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 43% higher in Charleroi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Charleroi and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $799 in Charleroi versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Charleroi and in Lisbon?
A monthly transit pass in Charleroi runs roughly 6% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Charleroi and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $1,619 in Charleroi versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How far does $3,000 go in Charleroi compared to Lisbon?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Charleroi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Charleroi and Lisbon?
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.

Charleroi vs other spots: cost of living compared

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