Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, KY and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,533 in Columbia, KY, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, KY
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Columbia, KY Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Columbia, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,533

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,533 in Columbia, KY versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Columbia, KY $2,533
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,837 in Columbia, KY versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Columbia, KY $3,837
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,140 in Columbia, KY versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Columbia, KY $5,140
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Columbia, KY is roughly 15% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, KY 87% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 $19.77

$16.86 €15.08

17.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.0 $75.0

$61.0 €54.6

22.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.79 $9.79

$10.98 €9.82

-10.84%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.05 €2.73

84.59%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$2.28 €2.04

10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.68 €1.50

30.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.44 €3.07

75.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 $6.47

$3.91 €3.49

65.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.15 €1.03

-6.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.89 €1.69

92.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.50 €1.34

184.00%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$4.12 €3.68

2.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 $12.24

$13.01 €11.63

-5.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.41 $11.41

$8.04 €7.19

41.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 $16.75

$17.89 €16.00

-6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.27 €2.03

123.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.74 €1.56

-4.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.82 €1.63

137.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.69 €2.40

75.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.77 €1.58

60.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.94 €1.73

54.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.46 €1.31

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.76 €0.68

202.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.41 $9.41

$6.66 €5.95

41.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 $14.07

$5.64 €5.04

149.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.29 €1.15

46.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.14 €1.91

60.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.30 €2.06

-19.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 $59.6

$44.02 €39.36

35.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 $3.80

$3.98 €3.56

-4.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.64 €0.57

203.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.01 $27.01

$18.93 €16.92

42.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.28 €2.03

-55.26%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$33.4K €29.8K

-11.89%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.5K €34.4K

-32.43%

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

$199 $199

$158 €141

25.56%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$17.54 €15.68

233.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$31.18 €27.89

126.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.46 $39.46

$44.64 €39.92

-11.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.97

Cinema Ticket

$12.77 $12.77

$9.58 €8.56

33.30%

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

$1,412 $1,412

$674 €602

109.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K $19.9K

$18.7K €16.7K

6.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 $57.2

$102 €91.4

-44.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.09 $39.09

$45.90 €41.04

-14.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 $83.3

$102 €91.4

-18.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$122 €109

-7.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 $1,585

$1,641 €1,467

-3.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 $1,215

$1,187 €1,062

2.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 $2,545

$2,825 €2,526

-9.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,239 $2,239

$2,018 €1,805

10.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,495 $2,495

$7,836 €7,007

-68.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,190 $2,190

$4,701 €4,204

-53.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,508

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

3.82

72.51%

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

Last update for Columbia, KY: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, KY

$1.2K 48%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 2.3% $28

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, KY

$397 15.7%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 30.8% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, KY

$328 12.9%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 36.9% $121

Eating Out

Columbia, KY

$317 12.5%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 22.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, KY

$131 5.2%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 27.5% $36

Getting Around

Columbia, KY

$80 3.2%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 24.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, KY

$65 2.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 1.8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,585 in Columbia, KY and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Columbia, KY vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, KY

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

20:42 8:42 PM

6 h ahead of Columbia, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Columbia, KY Lisbon 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, KY
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

Columbia, KY vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,533 in Columbia, KY and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,800 in Columbia, KY and $3,309 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,585 in Columbia, KY versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 26% less than in Columbia, KY. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,412 in Columbia, KY versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Columbia, KY and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.