Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, MO and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Columbia, MO: $2,054 a month against $2,223 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.

100

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, MO
Learn more

Columbia, MO Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Columbia, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,054

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,054 in Columbia, MO versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Columbia, MO $2,054
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,883 in Columbia, MO versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Columbia, MO $2,883
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Columbia, MO versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Columbia, MO $3,712
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Columbia, MO costs roughly 8% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, MO 52% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.75 $15.75

$16.50 €14.67

-4.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.4 $73.4

$61.3 €54.5

19.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$11.27 €10.03

4.61%

Cappuccino

$4.92 $4.92

$3.06 €2.72

60.78%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$2.26 €2.01

14.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.73 €1.54

18.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.39 €3.02

44.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.40 €3.02

60.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.12 €1.00

2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.86 €1.65

53.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.53 €1.36

186.93%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$3.96 €3.53

-17.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$12.76 €11.35

-10.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$7.90 €7.02

51.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$16.97 €15.09

-17.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.27 €2.02

84.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.75 €1.55

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.85 €1.64

153.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.57 €2.28

84.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.86 €1.65

54.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.02 €1.80

30.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.44 €1.28

19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.82 €0.73

152.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 $7.96

$6.56 €5.83

21.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.43 $16.43

$5.62 €5.00

192.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.28 €1.14

53.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.07 €1.84

14.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.99 €3.55

17.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.09 €0.97

-6.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.56 $22.56

$16.64 €14.81

35.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.28 €2.03

-54.39%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

11.10%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

-37.30%

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

$180 $180

$167 €149

7.72%

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

$46.95 $46.95

$18.80 €16.72

149.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$33.09 €29.43

78.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 $29.55

$46.01 €40.93

-35.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 $23.26

$19.19 €17.07

21.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$9.84 €8.75

50.61%

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

$1,180 $1,180

$677 €602

74.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K $13.2K

$16.9K €15.1K

-21.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.70 $47.70

$101 €90.1

-52.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.48 $33.48

$45.76 €40.70

-26.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 $95.5

$100.0 €88.9

-4.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 $87.2

$123 €109

-28.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 $1,211

$1,614 €1,436

-24.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$930 $930

$1,197 €1,065

-22.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 $1,799

$2,862 €2,545

-37.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 $1,183

$1,990 €1,770

-40.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,049 $2,049

$7,577 €6,740

-72.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,984 $1,984

$4,307 €3,831

-53.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,021 $4,021

$1,588 €1,412

153.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

3.85

69.87%

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

Last update for Columbia, MO: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, MO

$930 45.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 28.7% $267

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, MO

$375 18.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 28.2% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, MO

$287 14%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 23.4% $67

Eating Out

Columbia, MO

$274 13.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 11.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, MO

$119 5.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 40.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, MO

$59 2.9%

Lisbon

$66 3% 11% $6.5

Getting Around

Columbia, MO

$9.8 * 0.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 543% $53

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 $1,211 in Columbia, MO and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, MO pays 153% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Columbia, MO vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, MO

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

6 h ahead of Columbia, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Columbia, MO Lisbon 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Columbia, MO is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 153% higher in Columbia, MO, 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: $1,211 in Columbia, MO versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,180 in Columbia, MO versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Columbia, MO – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,054 in Columbia, MO versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Columbia, MO but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Columbia, MO the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Columbia, MO is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Columbia, MO and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Columbia, MO gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.