Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Carbondale, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Carbondale, IL: $1,759 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Carbondale, IL
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Carbondale, IL Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Carbondale, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Carbondale, IL

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 Carbondale, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,759 in Carbondale, IL.

Lisbon $2,202
Carbondale, IL $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,131 in Carbondale, IL.

Lisbon $3,274
Carbondale, IL $2,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,503 in Carbondale, IL.

Lisbon $4,346
Carbondale, IL $2,503

Living in Lisbon is roughly 25% more expensive than in Carbondale, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Carbondale, IL 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$17.85 $17.85

-4.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$38.28 $38.28

62.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.16 $9.16

20.31%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.12 $5.12

-39.06%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.29 $2.29

-0.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.94 $1.94

-10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.59 $4.59

-25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$8.20 $8.20

-54.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.92 $0.92

27.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.10 $3.10

-40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.12 $4.12

-62.62%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.71 $3.71

9.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$13.28 $13.28

-2.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$11.47 $11.47

-31.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$18.80 $18.80

-6.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$5.60 $5.60

-59.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.80 $1.80

-2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$5.92 $5.92

-68.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.91 $4.91

-47.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.62 $1.62

14.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.40 $2.40

-17.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.64 $2.64

-45.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.16 $2.16

-64.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$9.04 $9.04

-25.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$13.13 $13.13

-56.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.70 $1.70

-19.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.60 $1.60

31.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.03 $2.03

94.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.39 $1.39

-24.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$19.64 $19.64

-12.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.03 $1.03

112.62%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$27.5K $27.5K

22.78%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$27.3K $27.3K

40.23%

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

$164 €146

$185 $185

-11.60%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$85.5 $85.5

-78.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$75.6 $75.6

-56.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$11.92 $11.92

-18.20%

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

$684 €608

$1,702 $1,702

-59.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$24.5K $24.5K

-28.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$46.99 $46.99

120.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$33.23 $33.23

39.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$83.1 $83.1

19.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$150 $150

-17.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$656 $656

142.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$554 $554

110.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$994 $994

684.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,003 $1,003

340.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,801 $3,801

-57.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.6

-41.67%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Carbondale, IL: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Carbondale, IL

$554 31.5% 52.6% $615

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Carbondale, IL

$396 22.5% 45.1% $123

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Carbondale, IL

$288 16.4% 16.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Carbondale, IL

$346 19.7% 60.9% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Carbondale, IL

$141 8% 16.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Carbondale, IL

$24 * 1.4% 63.5% $42

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Carbondale, IL

$9 * 0.5% 85.7% $54

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $656 in Carbondale, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carbondale, IL pays 138% 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 Lisbon vs $38.00 in Carbondale, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $396, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Carbondale, IL

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

24,881

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Carbondale, IL 6,750 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Carbondale, IL

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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 Carbondale, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carbondale, IL wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Carbondale, IL the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 138% lower in Carbondale, IL. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $656 in Carbondale, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 45% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $1,759 in Carbondale, IL – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,759 in Carbondale, IL versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Carbondale, IL but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Carbondale, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Carbondale, IL delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,759 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Carbondale, IL hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Carbondale, IL 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 Carbondale, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.