Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Asheville, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,909 in Asheville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Asheville, NC
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Asheville, NC Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Asheville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Asheville, NC

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 Asheville, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,909 in Asheville, NC.

Lisbon $2,210
Asheville, NC $2,909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,142 in Asheville, NC.

Lisbon $3,275
Asheville, NC $4,142

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,375 in Asheville, NC.

Lisbon $4,341
Asheville, NC $5,375

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 24% less than in Asheville, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Asheville, NC 114% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$21.30 $21.30

-21.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$99.2 $99.2

-37.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.07 $11.07

2.62%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$5.78 $5.78

-48.62%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.46 $2.46

-6.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.94 $1.94

-10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.98 $6.98

-51.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$9.24 $9.24

-64.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.20 $1.20

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$4.44 $4.44

-56.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.28 $4.28

-64.72%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.96 $3.96

1.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$16.62 $16.62

-22.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$13.60 $13.60

-42.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$15.14 $15.14

17.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.11 $4.11

-44.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.54 $1.54

12.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.00 $4.00

-53.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.57 $4.57

-43.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.28 $2.28

-20.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.81 $2.81

-29.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.48 $2.48

-40.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.10 $2.10

-65.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$8.50 $8.50

-22.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$14.80 $14.80

-62.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.75 $1.75

-22.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$5.26 $5.26

-59.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.03 $1.03

126.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$20.17 $20.17

121.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.55 $4.55

-15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.19 $3.19

-66.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$34.82 $34.82

-52.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.94 $0.94

134.04%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$28.9K $28.9K

18.33%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.1K $26.1K

48.64%

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

$161 €145

$183 $183

-12.06%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$64.1 $64.1

-71.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$107 $107

-69.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$35.23 $35.23

26.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$18.99 $18.99

0.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$11.36 $11.36

-15.49%

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

$668 €600

$2,606 $2,606

-74.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$54.5K $54.5K

-67.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$65.0 $65.0

56.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$49.68 $49.68

-10.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$102 $102

-3.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$160 $160

-22.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,770 $1,770

-9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,521 $1,521

-21.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$2,975 $2,975

-5.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$2,207 $2,207

-8.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$4,689 $4,689

67.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$3,245 $3,245

41.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,770 $3,770

-58.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.2

-37.90%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Asheville, NC: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Asheville, NC

$1.5K 52.3% 27.8% $330

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Asheville, NC

$418 14.4% 53.4% $145

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Asheville, NC

$344 11.8% 41.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Asheville, NC

$355 12.2% 67% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Asheville, NC

$169 5.8% 2.1% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Asheville, NC

$58 2% 9.1% $5.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Asheville, NC

$45 1.5% 29.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,770 in Asheville, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Asheville, NC pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $99 in Asheville, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $418 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Asheville, NC

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

18:19 6:19 PM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

72,789

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Asheville, NC 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Asheville, NC

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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 Asheville, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,909 in Asheville, NC, so Lisbon is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,770 in Asheville, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asheville, NC runs roughly 55% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,606 in Asheville, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

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