Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, SC and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Columbia, SC and in Lisbon: $2,193 and $2,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

105

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, SC
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Columbia, SC Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,193

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,193 in Columbia, SC versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Columbia, SC $2,193
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Columbia, SC versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Columbia, SC $3,366
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,538 in Columbia, SC versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Columbia, SC $4,538
Lisbon $4,341

Monthly costs are close between Columbia, SC and Lisbon; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, SC 61% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 $19.80

$16.65 €14.85

18.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 $61.1

$61.7 €55.1

-1.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$11.36 €10.13

5.37%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$2.97 €2.65

82.49%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$2.29 €2.04

22.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.74 €1.55

25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 $5.43

$3.40 €3.04

59.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$3.31 €2.95

93.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.16 €1.03

-27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.91 €1.71

32.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.51 €1.35

199.34%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$4.02 €3.59

0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$12.94 €11.54

-18.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$7.77 €6.94

43.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.89 $15.89

$17.76 €15.85

-10.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.30 €2.06

128.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.73 €1.55

-5.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$1.86 €1.66

246.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.59 €2.31

138.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.82 €1.62

70.33%

Onion (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.97 €1.76

121.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.47 €1.31

36.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.72 €0.65

148.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.40 $8.40

$6.58 €5.87

27.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.62 $15.62

$5.61 €5.00

178.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.36 €1.22

34.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.14 €1.91

25.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.33 €2.08

-15.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.15 $40.15

$44.68 €39.86

-10.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.85 €3.43

-48.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.07 €0.95

48.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.89 $17.89

$16.46 €14.69

8.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.20 €1.96

-58.64%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.2K €30.5K

-21.58%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$38.7K €34.5K

-34.92%

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

$277 $277

$161 €144

71.98%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$18.41 €16.43

227.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$32.74 €29.21

94.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.47 $34.47

$44.55 €39.74

-22.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 $18.22

$19.10 €17.04

-4.61%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$9.60 €8.56

58.54%

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

$1,117 $1,117

$668 €596

67.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$17.6K €15.7K

29.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$102 €91.0

-48.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 $39.57

$44.46 €39.67

-11.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 $82.2

$98.5 €87.9

-16.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$124 €110

-7.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 $1,430

$1,608 €1,435

-11.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$1,190 €1,062

-30.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,198 $3,198

$2,812 €2,509

13.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 $1,672

$2,013 €1,796

-16.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,313 $2,313

$7,839 €6,994

-70.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,668 $1,668

$4,576 €4,082

-63.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,240 $3,240

$1,575 €1,405

105.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

3.85

70.39%

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

Last update for Columbia, SC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, SC

$832 37.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 43.1% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, SC

$401 18.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 47.1% $189

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, SC

$389 17.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 30% $117

Eating Out

Columbia, SC

$319 14.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 24% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, SC

$130 5.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 27.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, SC

$65 3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 1.8% $1.2

Getting Around

Columbia, SC

$58 2.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 9% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in Columbia, SC and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Columbia, SC vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

19:06 7:06 PM

5 h ahead of Columbia, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Columbia, SC Lisbon 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Average pay in Columbia, SC is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $1,430 in Columbia, SC versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Columbia, SC runs roughly 10% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,117 in Columbia, SC versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Columbia, SC 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.