Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Carolina

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Carolina: $2,223 and $2,264 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Carolina
Learn more

Carolina Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Carolina

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,264

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Carolina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,264 in Carolina.

Lisbon $2,223
Carolina $2,264

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,131 in Carolina.

Lisbon $3,271
Carolina $3,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,998 in Carolina.

Lisbon $4,319
Carolina $3,998

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 2% less than in Carolina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Carolina 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.26 $13.26

24.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$54.5 $54.5

12.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.15 $10.15

11.03%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.18 $3.18

-3.77%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.93 $2.93

-22.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.79 $1.79

-3.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.05 $3.05

11.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.98 $4.98

-31.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.00 $2.00

-44.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.47 $3.47

-46.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.79 $1.79

-14.53%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.68 $4.68

-15.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.12 $7.12

79.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$8.49 $8.49

-6.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$12.71 $12.71

33.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.09 $3.09

-26.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.48 $2.48

-29.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.59 $2.59

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.79 $3.79

-32.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.97 $2.97

-37.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.34 $3.34

-39.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.11 $2.11

-31.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$2.06 $2.06

-60.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$9.94 $9.94

-34.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$18.17 $18.17

-69.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$3.02 $3.02

-57.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$5.03 $5.03

-58.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.99 $2.99

-21.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$40.34 $40.34

9.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$49.96 $49.96

-66.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.18 $1.18

93.22%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$40.4K $40.4K

-16.54%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$30.0K $30.0K

30.91%

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

$167 €149

$608 $608

-72.46%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$50.4 $50.4

-62.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$78.7 $78.7

-57.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$10.42 $10.42

341.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$29.86 $29.86

-35.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$8.02 $8.02

22.69%

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

$677 €602

$502 $502

34.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$9,654 $9,654

75.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$88.8 $88.8

14.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$24.82 $24.82

84.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$89.7 $89.7

11.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$90.6 $90.6

35.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,073 $1,073

50.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$744 $744

60.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,938 $1,938

47.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,215 $1,215

63.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,462 $3,462

118.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,312 $2,312

86.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,991 $1,991

-20.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.23

-38.20%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Carolina: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Carolina

$744 32.9% 37.8% $453

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Carolina

$352 15.6% 30.8% $83

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Carolina

$219 9.7% 9.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Carolina

$737 32.6% 236% $518

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Carolina

$132 5.8% 20.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Carolina

$26 1.2% 59.7% $39

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Carolina

$52 * 2.3% 17% $11

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,073 in Carolina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carolina pays 25% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $54.0 in Carolina. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $352, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇷 Carolina

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

138,304

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Carolina 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Carolina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Carolina. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Carolina. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,073 in Carolina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Carolina. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $54.0 in Carolina. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,264 in Carolina, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Carolina. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Carolina 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Carolina. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.