Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hickory, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Hickory, NC: $2,070 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Hickory, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,070

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,070 in Hickory, NC versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Hickory, NC $2,070
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,958 in Hickory, NC versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Hickory, NC $2,958
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,847 in Hickory, NC versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Hickory, NC $3,847
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Hickory, NC costs roughly 7% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hickory, NC 53% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.78 $14.78

$16.50 €14.67

-10.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 $61.7

$61.3 €54.5

0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$11.27 €10.03

-3.99%

Cappuccino

$4.98 $4.98

$3.06 €2.72

62.75%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$2.26 €2.01

-2.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.73 €1.54

-5.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 $5.52

$3.39 €3.02

62.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.40 €3.02

103.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.12 €1.00

-24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.86 €1.65

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.53 €1.36

103.92%

Eggs

$3.54 $3.54

$3.96 €3.53

-10.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 $10.40

$12.76 €11.35

-18.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 $8.88

$7.90 €7.02

12.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.93 $16.93

$16.97 €15.09

-0.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.27 €2.02

79.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.75 €1.55

-3.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.85 €1.64

29.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.57 €2.28

-32.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.86 €1.65

23.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.02 €1.80

66.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.44 €1.28

29.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.82 €0.73

165.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.18 $8.18

$6.56 €5.83

24.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$5.62 €5.00

161.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.28 €1.14

29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.07 €1.84

48.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 $1.28

$2.35 €2.09

-45.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 $45.47

$44.18 €39.30

2.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.99 €3.55

-48.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.09 €0.97

117.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.24 $18.24

$16.64 €14.81

9.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.28 €2.03

-62.28%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

6.03%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$39.3K €35.0K

-36.24%

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

$139 $139

$167 €149

-16.91%

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

$60.8 $60.8

$18.80 €16.72

223.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 $56.1

$33.09 €29.43

69.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.92 $27.92

$46.01 €40.93

-39.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$14.20 $14.20

$9.84 €8.75

44.31%

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

$355 $355

$677 €602

-47.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K $25.5K

$16.9K €15.1K

50.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.13 $40.13

$101 €90.1

-60.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.28 $20.28

$45.76 €40.70

-55.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.82 $39.82

$100.0 €88.9

-60.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.92 $49.92

$123 €109

-59.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 $1,267

$1,614 €1,436

-21.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,020 $1,020

$1,197 €1,065

-14.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,649 $1,649

$2,862 €2,545

-42.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 $1,519

$1,990 €1,770

-23.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,198 $2,198

$7,577 €6,740

-70.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,159 $2,159

$4,307 €3,831

-49.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,550 $4,550

$1,588 €1,412

186.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

3.85

43.64%

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

Last update for Hickory, NC: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hickory, NC

$1K 49.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 17.4% $178

Groceries & Markets

Hickory, NC

$339 16.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 20.4% $69

Eating Out

Hickory, NC

$267 12.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 9.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hickory, NC

$256 12.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 14.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Hickory, NC

$68 3.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 146% $99

Getting Around

Hickory, NC

$65 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 2.3% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Hickory, NC

$56 2.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 16.6% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,267 in Hickory, NC and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hickory, NC pays 187% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Hickory, NC vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hickory, NC

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

16:15 4:15 PM

5 h ahead of Hickory, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,374

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

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Between locations

Hickory, NC Lisbon 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Hickory, 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

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

Hickory, NC and Lisbon differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,070 vs $2,223 including rent). Hickory, NC is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 187% higher in Hickory, NC, 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: $1,267 in Hickory, NC versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hickory, NC – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,070 per month in Hickory, NC versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,070 in Hickory, NC versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hickory, NC but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Hickory, NC the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Hickory, NC and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hickory, NC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.