Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,423 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. The total is higher in Durham, NC despite lower rent and utilities.

116

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,423

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,423 in Durham, NC versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Durham, NC $2,423
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,700 in Durham, NC versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Durham, NC $3,700
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,978 in Durham, NC versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Durham, NC $4,978
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Durham, NC is roughly 10% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durham, NC 78% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.31 $15.31

$16.65 €14.92

-8.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 $106

$61.7 €55.3

71.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$11.36 €10.18

-12.32%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$2.97 €2.66

61.28%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$2.29 €2.05

31.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.74 €1.56

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.40 €3.05

81.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.31 €2.97

115.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.16 €1.04

-2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.91 €1.71

146.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.51 €1.36

199.34%

Eggs

$3.45 $3.45

$4.02 €3.60

-14.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.01 $19.01

$12.94 €11.59

46.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.98 $16.98

$7.77 €6.97

118.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 $17.05

$17.76 €15.92

-4.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.30 €2.06

146.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.73 €1.55

5.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.86 €1.66

109.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.59 €2.32

76.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.82 €1.63

24.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.97 €1.76

97.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.47 €1.32

87.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.72 €0.65

172.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.57 $8.57

$6.58 €5.90

30.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$5.61 €5.02

171.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.36 €1.22

11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.14 €1.91

87.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.85 €3.45

-49.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 $0.60

$1.07 €0.96

-43.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.20 €1.97

-54.09%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$34.2K €30.6K

-9.62%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K €34.7K

-32.74%

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

$226 $226

$161 €144

40.29%

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

$56.8 $56.8

$18.41 €16.50

208.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$32.74 €29.34

118.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 $51.5

$44.55 €39.92

15.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$12.36 $12.36

$9.60 €8.60

28.75%

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

$1,567 $1,567

$668 €598

134.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.29 $45.29

$102 €91.4

-55.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 $35.33

$44.46 €39.85

-20.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 $90.7

$98.5 €88.3

-7.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$124 €111

8.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 $1,502

$1,608 €1,441

-6.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 $1,118

$1,190 €1,066

-6.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$2,812 €2,520

-19.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 $1,970

$2,013 €1,804

-2.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,463 $3,463

$7,839 €7,025

-55.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,420 $2,420

$4,576 €4,100

-47.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,786 $4,786

$1,575 €1,411

203.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

3.85

76.88%

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

Last update for Durham, NC: 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

Durham, NC

$1.1K 46.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 6.5% $72

Groceries & Markets

Durham, NC

$456 18.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 40.3% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham, NC

$355 14.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 40.1% $142

Eating Out

Durham, NC

$276 11.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 12% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Durham, NC

$137 5.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 20.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Durham, NC

$76 3.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 16.4% $12

Getting Around

Durham, NC

$5 * 0.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 1172% $58

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 $1,502 in Durham, NC and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $106 in Durham, NC vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

04:02 4:02 AM

5 h ahead of Durham, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

283,506

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

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Between locations

Durham, NC Lisbon 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Durham, NC
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

Durham, NC vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Durham, NC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Durham, NC is about 3 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: $1,502 in Durham, NC versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Durham, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,423 per month in Durham, NC versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value at $2,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

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

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Durham, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.