Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, TN and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,298 in Columbia, TN, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Columbia, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,298

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,298 in Columbia, TN versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Columbia, TN $2,298
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,486 in Columbia, TN versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Columbia, TN $3,486
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,674 in Columbia, TN versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Columbia, TN $4,674
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Columbia, TN is roughly 4% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, TN 69% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.93 $11.93

$16.65 €14.91

-28.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 $60.6

$61.7 €55.3

-1.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 $10.14

$11.36 €10.17

-10.74%

Cappuccino

$3.89 $3.89

$2.97 €2.66

30.98%

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

$2.16 $2.16

$2.29 €2.05

-5.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.74 €1.56

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 $6.33

$3.40 €3.05

86.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 $7.32

$3.31 €2.96

121.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.16 €1.04

-17.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.91 €1.71

51.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.51 €1.35

166.23%

Eggs

$2.56 $2.56

$4.02 €3.60

-36.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 $13.29

$12.94 €11.59

2.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$7.77 €6.96

-16.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 $13.09

$17.76 €15.91

-26.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.30 €2.06

142.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.73 €1.55

-27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$1.86 €1.66

210.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.59 €2.32

55.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.82 €1.63

73.63%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.97 €1.76

111.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.47 €1.32

72.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.72 €0.65

195.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 $9.48

$6.58 €5.90

44.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 $13.11

$5.61 €5.02

133.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.36 €1.22

24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.14 €1.91

-26.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.85 €3.45

-48.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.07 €0.96

28.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.99 $19.99

$16.46 €14.74

21.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.71 $0.71

$2.20 €1.97

-67.73%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-16.90%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K €34.7K

-31.24%

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

$157 $157

$161 €144

-2.47%

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

$61.2 $61.2

$18.41 €16.49

232.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.0 $75.0

$32.74 €29.32

128.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.45 $35.45

$44.55 €39.90

-20.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 $12.59

$9.60 €8.60

31.15%

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

$1,678 $1,678

$668 €598

151.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$17.6K €15.8K

41.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.38 $40.38

$102 €91.4

-60.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.60 $33.60

$44.46 €39.82

-24.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 $82.3

$98.5 €88.2

-16.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 $89.2

$124 €111

-27.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 $1,471

$1,608 €1,440

-8.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$1,190 €1,066

4.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,573 $2,573

$2,812 €2,519

-8.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$2,013 €1,803

18.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

3.85

71.43%

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

Last update for Columbia, TN: 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

Columbia, TN

$1.2K 54.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 4.3% $54

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, TN

$347 15.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 21.4% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, TN

$293 12.8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 27.6% $81

Eating Out

Columbia, TN

$234 10.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 3.8% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, TN

$110 4.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 50.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, TN

$61 2.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 5.1% $3.1

Getting Around

Columbia, TN

$8.9 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 609% $54

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 $1,471 in Columbia, TN and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Columbia, TN vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $347 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, TN

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

14:49 2:49 PM

6 h ahead of Columbia, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228

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, TN Lisbon 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Lisbon is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in utilities and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,446 in Columbia, TN and $3,315 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: $1,471 in Columbia, TN versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Columbia, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $1,678 in Columbia, TN 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 $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, TN and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.