Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Aiken, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,436 in Aiken, SC, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Aiken, SC
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Aiken, SC Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Aiken, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Aiken, SC

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Aiken, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,436 in Aiken, SC.

Lisbon $2,210
Aiken, SC $2,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,384 in Aiken, SC.

Lisbon $3,275
Aiken, SC $3,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,332 in Aiken, SC.

Lisbon $4,341
Aiken, SC $4,332

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 9% less than in Aiken, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Aiken, SC 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$15.28 $15.28

8.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$58.8 $58.8

4.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.80 $10.80

5.19%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.69 $3.69

-19.51%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.18 $2.18

5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.97 $1.97

-11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.84 $5.84

-41.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$8.53 $8.53

-61.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.02 $1.02

13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.75 $2.75

-30.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.31 $2.31

-34.63%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.59 $3.59

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$14.15 $14.15

-8.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$6.28 $6.28

23.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$18.71 $18.71

-5.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$8.72 $8.72

-73.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.29 $2.29

-24.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.93 $2.93

-36.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.87 $3.87

-33.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.95 $1.95

-6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.74 $2.74

-28.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.87 $1.87

-21.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.05 $2.05

-64.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$7.16 $7.16

-8.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$13.05 $13.05

-57.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.01 $2.01

-32.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.98 $2.98

-28.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.90 $4.90

-21.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$5.02 $5.02

-78.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$51.0 $51.0

-67.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.73 $0.73

201.37%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$28.3K $28.3K

20.77%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.7K $26.7K

45.25%

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

$161 €144

$222 $222

-27.33%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$66.2 $66.2

-72.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$84.2 $84.2

-61.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$56.6 $56.6

-21.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$14.99 $14.99

-35.96%

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

$668 €598

$942 $942

-29.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$18.0K $18.0K

-2.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$64.7 $64.7

57.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$44.36 $44.36

0.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$114 $114

-13.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$64.6 $64.6

91.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,337 $1,337

20.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,191 $1,191

-0.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,759 $1,759

59.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,706 $1,706

18.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,694 $1,694

362.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,359 $1,359

236.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.57

-41.40%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Aiken, SC: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Aiken, SC

$1.2K 48.9% 0.1% $0.7

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Aiken, SC

$365 15% 34.1% $93

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Aiken, SC

$262 10.7% 7.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Aiken, SC

$372 15.3% 75.3% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Aiken, SC

$130 5.3% 21.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Aiken, SC

$87 3.6% 35.8% $23

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Aiken, SC

$30 * 1.2% 52.5% $33

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,337 in Aiken, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $59 in Aiken, SC. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $365, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Aiken, SC

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

21:01 9:01 PM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

28,829

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Aiken, SC 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Aiken, SC

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

Lisbon vs Aiken, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $3,654 in Aiken, SC 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,337 in Aiken, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $942 in Aiken, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Aiken, SC – a meal for two runs $59 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Lisbon and Aiken, SC are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.