Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth City, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Elizabeth City, NC
🇺🇸 United States
$2,456
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,456 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Elizabeth City, NC $2,456
  • Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $3,522 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Elizabeth City, NC $3,522
  • Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $4,588 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Elizabeth City, NC $4,588
  • Lisbon $4,346

Elizabeth City, NC costs about 12% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Elizabeth City, NC and Lisbon sit above the global median – Elizabeth City, NC by 81%, Lisbon by 62%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Elizabeth City, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.95 $11.95
$17.04 €15.15
-29.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.93 $34.93
$62.3 €55.4
-43.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.60 $11.60
$11.02 €9.80
5.26%
Cappuccino
$5.84 $5.84
$3.12 €2.78
87.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 $2.52
$2.27 €2.02
11.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 $2.04
$1.74 €1.55
17.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.14 $6.14
$3.42 €3.04
79.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 $7.09
$3.74 €3.33
89.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Elizabeth City, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.95 $0.95
$1.17 €1.04
-18.80%
White Bread (500g)
$3.65 $3.65
$1.86 €1.66
96.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.00 $3.00
$1.54 €1.37
94.81%
Eggs
$4.78 $4.78
$4.06 €3.61
17.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.81 $10.81
$12.91 €11.49
-16.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.01 $10.01
$7.90 €7.03
26.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.49 $17.49
$17.64 €15.69
-0.85%
Apples (1kg)
$4.38 $4.38
$2.26 €2.01
93.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.28 $1.28
$1.75 €1.55
-26.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.39 $4.39
$1.89 €1.68
132.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$2.56 €2.27
76.95%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.85 €1.64
16.76%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.97 €1.75
12.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.45 €1.29
38.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 $2.23
$0.77 €0.69
189.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.86 $8.86
$6.71 €5.97
32.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.74 $14.74
$5.67 €5.04
159.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$1.37 €1.22
54.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 $2.65
$2.11 €1.88
25.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Elizabeth City, NC
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.81 $1.81
$2.32 €2.07
-21.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.43 €39.52
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.92 $2.92
$3.95 €3.51
-26.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 $1.93
$1.05 €0.93
83.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.19 $18.19
$17.15 €15.26
6.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.00 $1.00
$2.19 €1.95
-54.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K $30.6K
$33.8K €30.0K
-9.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K $25.6K
$38.3K €34.0K
-33.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Elizabeth City, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 $183
$164 €146
11.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$56.8 $56.8
$18.48 €16.43
207.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.6 $59.6
$32.96 €29.32
80.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Elizabeth City, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.64 $45.64
$45.87 €40.80
-0.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.68 €16.61
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.06 $15.06
$9.75 €8.67
54.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Elizabeth City, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,491 $1,491
$684 €608
118.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.9K $24.9K
$17.6K €15.7K
40.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Elizabeth City, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.7 $54.7
$104 €92.3
-47.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.11 $40.11
$46.20 €41.09
-13.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.8 $87.8
$99.7 €88.7
-12.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$143 $143
$125 €111
14.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Elizabeth City, NC
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 $1,584
$1,589 €1,414
-0.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,279 $1,279
$1,169 €1,040
9.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,494 $2,494
$2,851 €2,536
-12.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,164 $2,164
$1,993 €1,773
8.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,870 $2,870
$7,793 €6,932
-63.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,355 $2,355
$4,418 €3,930
-46.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Elizabeth City, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,600 €1,423
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.61
3.85
71.69%

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

Last update for Elizabeth City, NC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Elizabeth City, NC
$1.3K
Lisbon
$1.2K 8.6% $110
Groceries & Markets
Elizabeth City, NC
$373
Lisbon
$273 26.8% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Elizabeth City, NC
$299
Lisbon
$215 28.1% $84
Eating Out
Elizabeth City, NC
$264
Lisbon
$247 6.1% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Elizabeth City, NC
$146
Lisbon
$168 15.2% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Elizabeth City, NC
$76
Lisbon
$65 13.7% $10
Getting Around
Elizabeth City, NC
$20 *
Lisbon
$63 218% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,584 in Elizabeth City, NC 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $373 in Elizabeth City, NC vs $273 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Elizabeth City, NC
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
22:34 10:34 PM
03:34 3:34 AM
5 h ahead of Elizabeth City, NC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
18,683
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Elizabeth City, NC Lisbon 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Elizabeth City, 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
Elizabeth City, NC vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Elizabeth City, NC and in Lisbon compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, $2,202 in Lisbon – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Elizabeth City, NC compared to Lisbon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,685 per month in Elizabeth City, NC and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Elizabeth City, NC and Lisbon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC and $62.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 37% more in Elizabeth City, NC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Elizabeth City, NC at $2,456. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elizabeth City, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Elizabeth City, NC and Lisbon?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,202 in Lisbon to $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Elizabeth City, NC or Lisbon safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Elizabeth City, NC and Lisbon?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Elizabeth City, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Elizabeth City, NC vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?