Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Chapel Hill, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,751 in Chapel Hill, NC, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Chapel Hill, NC
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Chapel Hill, NC Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Chapel Hill, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,751 in Chapel Hill, NC.

Lisbon $2,206
Chapel Hill, NC $2,751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $4,302 in Chapel Hill, NC.

Lisbon $3,276
Chapel Hill, NC $4,302

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $5,852 in Chapel Hill, NC.

Lisbon $4,346
Chapel Hill, NC $5,852

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 20% less than in Chapel Hill, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Chapel Hill, NC 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.01

$18.23 $18.23

-7.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$89.6 $89.6

-31.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$9.96 $9.96

10.24%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$4.87 $4.87

-37.37%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.96 $1.96

16.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.95 $1.95

-13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$5.95 $5.95

-42.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$7.12 $7.12

-45.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.16 $1.16

-0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.73 $4.73

-60.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$9.81 $9.81

-84.71%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$5.53 $5.53

-25.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.58

$18.38 $18.38

-29.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$13.82 $13.82

-41.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.93

$27.09 $27.09

-33.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$7.87 $7.87

-71.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.84 $1.84

-5.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$6.94 $6.94

-73.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$6.02 $6.02

-55.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$4.89 $4.89

-63.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$3.94 $3.94

-50.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.71 $2.71

-46.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.07 $2.07

-63.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$8.50 $8.50

-21.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$14.71 $14.71

-61.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.63 $1.63

-20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$4.01 $4.01

-46.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.19

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$3.52 $3.52

13.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.27 $1.27

-49.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.85

$15.04 $15.04

25.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.02 $1.02

123.53%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$30.4K $30.4K

9.63%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$26.6K $26.6K

44.54%

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

$158 €141

$225 $225

-29.56%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$50.7 $50.7

-65.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.77

$70.2 $70.2

-55.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.75

$77.6 $77.6

-42.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.90

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$13.44 $13.44

-28.72%

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

$674 €600

$1,414 $1,414

-52.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$25.6K $25.6K

-26.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$39.62 $39.62

157.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.87

$31.05 $31.05

47.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$101 $101

0.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$139 $139

-12.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$1,971 $1,971

-16.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$1,320 $1,320

-10.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,515

$4,250 $4,250

-33.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,797

$2,625 $2,625

-23.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,977

$3,090 $3,090

153.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,186

$2,516 $2,516

86.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,502

$4,980 $4,980

-66.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.68

-42.81%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chapel Hill, NC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Chapel Hill, NC

$1.3K 48% 11.1% $132

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Chapel Hill, NC

$538 19.6% 95.9% $263

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Chapel Hill, NC

$294 10.7% 19.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Chapel Hill, NC

$346 12.6% 67% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Chapel Hill, NC

$140 5.1% 16.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Chapel Hill, NC

$104 3.8% 63.7% $41

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Chapel Hill, NC

$9.9 * 0.4% 83.7% $51

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 $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,971 in Chapel Hill, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chapel Hill, NC pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $90 in Chapel Hill, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $538 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Chapel Hill, NC

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

02:02 2:02 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

61,960

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Chapel Hill, NC 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Chapel Hill, 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 Chapel Hill, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Chapel Hill, NC. 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 66% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,971 in Chapel Hill, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 96% higher in Chapel Hill, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $2,751 in Chapel Hill, NC – Lisbon is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Chapel Hill, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.