Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Clayton, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,539 in Clayton, NC, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Clayton, NC
🇺🇸 United States
$2,539
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,539 per month in Clayton, NC vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Clayton, NC $2,539
  • Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $3,539 per month in Clayton, NC vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Clayton, NC $3,539
  • Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $4,539 per month in Clayton, NC vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Clayton, NC $4,539
  • Lisbon $4,346

Clayton, NC costs about 15% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Clayton, NC and Lisbon sit above the global median – Clayton, NC by 87%, Lisbon by 62%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Clayton, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.72 $21.72
$17.04 €15.15
27.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.4 $89.4
$62.3 €55.4
43.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.35 $11.35
$11.02 €9.80
2.99%
Cappuccino
$5.81 $5.81
$3.12 €2.78
86.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 $2.77
$2.27 €2.02
22.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 $2.22
$1.74 €1.55
27.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.83 $5.83
$3.42 €3.04
70.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.21 $7.21
$3.74 €3.33
92.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Clayton, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 $1.05
$1.17 €1.04
-10.26%
White Bread (500g)
$3.83 $3.83
$1.86 €1.66
105.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.03 $3.03
$1.54 €1.37
96.75%
Eggs
$4.60 $4.60
$4.06 €3.61
13.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.69 $9.69
$12.91 €11.49
-24.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.80 $9.80
$7.90 €7.03
24.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.67 $17.67
$17.64 €15.69
0.17%
Apples (1kg)
$4.74 $4.74
$2.26 €2.01
109.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 $1.38
$1.75 €1.55
-21.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.47 $4.47
$1.89 €1.68
136.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.39 $4.39
$2.56 €2.27
71.48%
Potato (1kg)
$2.74 $2.74
$1.85 €1.64
48.11%
Onion (1kg)
$2.41 $2.41
$1.97 €1.75
22.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.18 $2.18
$1.45 €1.29
50.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 $2.01
$0.77 €0.69
161.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.17 $9.17
$6.71 €5.97
36.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.78 $12.78
$5.67 €5.04
125.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.37 €1.22
57.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 $2.77
$2.11 €1.88
31.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Clayton, NC
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.20 $2.20
$2.32 €2.07
-5.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.43 €39.52
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.47 $2.47
$3.95 €3.51
-37.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 $1.57
$1.05 €0.93
49.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.95 $17.95
$17.15 €15.26
4.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$2.19 €1.95
-53.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.3K $27.3K
$33.8K €30.0K
-19.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.9K $25.9K
$38.3K €34.0K
-32.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Clayton, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$185 $185
$164 €146
12.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$56.0 $56.0
$18.48 €16.43
203.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.9 $71.9
$32.96 €29.32
118.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Clayton, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.58 $43.58
$45.87 €40.80
-4.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.68 €16.61
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.11 $15.11
$9.75 €8.67
54.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Clayton, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,471 $1,471
$684 €608
115.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.8K $24.8K
$17.6K €15.7K
40.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Clayton, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.7 $54.7
$104 €92.3
-47.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.41 $46.41
$46.20 €41.09
0.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.2 $91.2
$99.7 €88.7
-8.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 $120
$125 €111
-3.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Clayton, NC
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,607 $1,607
$1,589 €1,414
1.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,282 $1,282
$1,169 €1,040
9.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,669 $1,669
$2,851 €2,536
-41.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,675 $1,675
$1,993 €1,773
-15.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,115 $3,115
$7,793 €6,932
-60.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,599 $2,599
$4,418 €3,930
-41.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Clayton, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,600 €1,423
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.49
3.85
68.57%

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

Last update for Clayton, NC: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Clayton, NC
$1.3K
Lisbon
$1.2K 8.8% $112
Groceries & Markets
Clayton, NC
$370
Lisbon
$273 26.2% $97
Eating Out
Clayton, NC
$341
Lisbon
$247 27.5% $94
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Clayton, NC
$313
Lisbon
$215 31.2% $98
Clothing & Footwear
Clayton, NC
$141
Lisbon
$168 19.7% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Clayton, NC
$74
Lisbon
$65 11.4% $8.4
Getting Around
Clayton, NC
$19 *
Lisbon
$63 229% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,607 in Clayton, NC versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Clayton, NC versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $273 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Clayton, NC
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
18:52 6:52 PM
23:52 11:52 PM
5 h ahead of Clayton, NC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
17,355
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 October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Clayton, NC Lisbon 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Clayton, 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
Clayton, NC vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Clayton, NC and in Lisbon compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,539 in Clayton, NC, $2,202 in Lisbon – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Clayton, NC compared to Lisbon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,808 per month in Clayton, NC and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Clayton, NC and Lisbon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Clayton, NC or Lisbon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,539 in Clayton, NC and $2,202 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 15%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Clayton, NC and Lisbon?
Kindergarten costs $1,471 per month in Clayton, NC and $684 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Clayton, NC at $2,539. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Clayton, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Clayton, NC and Lisbon?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,202 in Lisbon to $2,539 in Clayton, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Clayton, NC or Lisbon safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Clayton, NC and Lisbon?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Clayton, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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