Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, WV and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Charleston, WV: $1,805 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Charleston, WV, United States
Lisbon, Portugal
Charleston, WV
🇺🇸 United States
$1,805
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,805 in Charleston, WV versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Charleston, WV $1,805
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,685 in Charleston, WV versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Charleston, WV $2,685
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,565 in Charleston, WV versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Charleston, WV $3,565
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Charleston, WV costs roughly 18% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Charleston, WV 33% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Charleston, WV
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.29 $14.29
$16.65 €14.91
-14.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.8 $50.8
$61.7 €55.3
-17.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.13 $10.13
$11.36 €10.17
-10.83%
Cappuccino
$2.99 $2.99
$2.97 €2.66
0.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 $2.27
$2.29 €2.05
-0.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 $1.89
$1.74 €1.56
8.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.08 $3.08
$3.40 €3.05
-9.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.55 $6.55
$3.31 €2.96
97.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Charleston, WV
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 $0.80
$1.16 €1.04
-31.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.14 $2.14
$1.91 €1.71
12.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 $1.67
$1.51 €1.35
10.60%
Eggs
$3.31 $3.31
$4.02 €3.60
-17.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.14 $11.14
$12.94 €11.59
-13.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.99 $11.99
$7.77 €6.96
54.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.14 $17.14
$17.76 €15.91
-3.49%
Apples (1kg)
$4.35 $4.35
$2.30 €2.06
89.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.07 $1.07
$1.73 €1.55
-38.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.86 €1.66
21.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.91 $4.91
$2.59 €2.32
89.58%
Potato (1kg)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.82 €1.63
10.44%
Onion (1kg)
$2.87 $2.87
$1.97 €1.76
45.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.94 $1.94
$1.47 €1.32
31.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 $1.03
$0.72 €0.65
43.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.05 $6.05
$6.58 €5.90
-8.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.18 $10.18
$5.61 €5.02
81.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 $1.72
$1.36 €1.22
26.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.02 $6.02
$2.14 €1.91
181.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Charleston, WV
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$2.33 €2.09
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.68 €40.01
-
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)
$0.95 $0.95
$2.20 €1.97
-56.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K $28.0K
$34.2K €30.6K
-18.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K $26.7K
$38.7K €34.7K
-31.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Charleston, WV
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$196 $196
$161 €144
21.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$45.67 $45.67
$18.41 €16.49
148.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.9 $55.9
$32.74 €29.32
70.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Charleston, WV
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.24 $31.24
$44.55 €39.90
-29.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.92 $16.92
$19.10 €17.10
-11.41%
Cinema Ticket
$11.81 $11.81
$9.60 €8.60
23.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Charleston, WV
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$538 $538
$668 €598
-19.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,426 $6,426
$17.6K €15.8K
-63.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Charleston, WV
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.33 $40.33
$102 €91.4
-60.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.49 $48.49
$44.46 €39.82
9.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.9 $70.9
$98.5 €88.2
-28.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 $119
$124 €111
-3.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Charleston, WV
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,037 $1,037
$1,608 €1,440
-35.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$772 $772
$1,190 €1,066
-35.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,738 $1,738
$2,812 €2,519
-38.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,339 $1,339
$2,013 €1,803
-33.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,182 $1,182
$7,839 €7,021
-84.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,186 $1,186
$4,576 €4,098
-74.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Charleston, WV
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,559 $3,559
$1,575 €1,411
125.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.66
3.85
72.99%

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

Last update for Charleston, WV: 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
Charleston, WV
$772
Lisbon
$1.2K 54.1% $418
Groceries & Markets
Charleston, WV
$329
Lisbon
$272 17.2% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Charleston, WV
$298
Lisbon
$212 28.7% $85
Eating Out
Charleston, WV
$226
Lisbon
$243 7.5% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Charleston, WV
$125
Lisbon
$166 32.3% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Charleston, WV
$55
Lisbon
$64 16.2% $8.9
Getting Around
Charleston, WV
- *
Lisbon
$63

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 $1,037 in Charleston, WV and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charleston, WV pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51 in Charleston, WV vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $329 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Charleston, WV
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
19:07 7:07 PM
00:07 12:07 AM
5 h ahead of Charleston, WV
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
150,227
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Charleston, WV Lisbon 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Charleston, WV
  • 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
Charleston, WV vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Charleston, WV cheaper than Lisbon?
Charleston, WV is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Charleston, WV or Lisbon?
Average pay in Charleston, WV is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Charleston, WV and Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,037 in Charleston, WV versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $538 in Charleston, WV versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Charleston, WV or in Lisbon?
Dining out is cheaper in Charleston, WV – a meal for two runs $51 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $2,500 enough for either Charleston, WV or Lisbon?
Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Charleston, WV gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Charleston, WV or in 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.

Charleston, WV vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?