Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbus, IN and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Columbus, IN: $2,080 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in Columbus, IN
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Columbus, IN Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Columbus, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,080

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,080 per month in Columbus, IN vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Columbus, IN $2,080
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $3,100 per month in Columbus, IN vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Columbus, IN $3,100
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $4,121 per month in Columbus, IN vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Columbus, IN $4,121
Lisbon $4,346

Columbus, IN is about 6% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Columbus, IN and Lisbon sit above the global median – Columbus, IN by 53%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.24 $15.24

$17.04 €15.15

-10.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.85 $49.85

$62.3 €55.4

-19.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 $10.04

$11.02 €9.80

-8.89%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$3.12 €2.78

56.73%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$2.27 €2.02

-1.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.74 €1.55

-4.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.42 €3.04

59.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$3.74 €3.33

104.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.17 €1.04

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.86 €1.66

72.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.54 €1.37

120.13%

Eggs

$2.34 $2.34

$4.06 €3.61

-42.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$12.91 €11.49

-2.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 $11.26

$7.90 €7.03

42.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 $9.28

$17.64 €15.69

-47.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.26 €2.01

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.75 €1.55

-24.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.89 €1.68

132.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.56 €2.27

73.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.85 €1.64

38.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.97 €1.75

60.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.45 €1.29

37.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 $0.47

$0.77 €0.69

-38.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.09 $8.09

$6.71 €5.97

20.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$5.67 €5.04

167.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.37 €1.22

51.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.11 €1.88

39.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.95 €3.51

-7.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.05 €0.93

19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.62 $24.62

$17.15 €15.26

43.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.19 €1.95

-60.27%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$33.8K €30.0K

6.86%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.3K €34.0K

-31.97%

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

$151 $151

$164 €146

-7.70%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$18.48 €16.43

194.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$32.96 €29.32

122.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.12 $44.12

$45.87 €40.80

-3.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.65 $35.65

$18.68 €16.61

90.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 $11.84

$9.75 €8.67

21.44%

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

$1,463 $1,463

$684 €608

113.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$17.6K €15.7K

11.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.49 $45.49

$104 €92.3

-56.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.10 $40.10

$46.20 €41.09

-13.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 $86.5

$99.7 €88.7

-13.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$125 €111

-14.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 $1,319

$1,589 €1,414

-17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$997 $997

$1,169 €1,040

-14.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 $1,845

$2,851 €2,536

-35.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,774 $1,774

$1,993 €1,773

-11.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,765 $1,765

$7,793 €6,932

-77.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,715 $1,715

$4,418 €3,930

-61.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,986 $3,986

$1,600 €1,423

149.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

3.85

71.17%

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

Last update for Columbus, IN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbus, IN

$997 48%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 17.2% $172

Groceries & Markets

Columbus, IN

$331 15.9%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 17.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbus, IN

$279 13.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 22.9% $64

Eating Out

Columbus, IN

$269 12.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Columbus, IN

$126 6%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 34.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Columbus, IN

$68 3.3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 3.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Columbus, IN

$9.9 * 0.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 534% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,319 in Columbus, IN 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.

Salaries run about 149% higher in Columbus, IN, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Columbus, IN versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $331 in Columbus, IN vs $273 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbus, IN

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

5 h ahead of Columbus, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

905,748

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

Columbus, IN Lisbon 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbus, IN
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

Columbus, IN vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 6% more than Columbus, IN, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,120 per month in Columbus, IN and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Columbus, IN, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Columbus, IN and $62.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Columbus, IN, where all-in costs run around $2,080, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Columbus, IN it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Columbus, IN costs $2,080 versus $2,202 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Columbus, IN. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.