Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Charleroi

For one person, living is cheaper in Charleroi: $2,019 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Charleroi
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Charleroi Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Charleroi

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,019

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Charleroi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,019 in Charleroi.

Lisbon $2,223
Charleroi $2,019

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,917 in Charleroi.

Lisbon $3,271
Charleroi $2,917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,815 in Charleroi.

Lisbon $4,319
Charleroi $3,815

Living in Lisbon is roughly 10% more expensive than in Charleroi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Charleroi 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.72

$22.39 €19.99

-26.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.7

$82.0 €73.2

-25.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.06

$13.52 €12.07

-16.64%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.73

$3.03 €2.71

0.99%

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

$2.26 €2.02

$2.14 €1.91

5.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.18 €1.94

-20.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.03

$3.23 €2.88

4.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.03

$3.91 €3.49

-13.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.14 €1.01

-1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.53 €2.26

-26.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.15 €1.91

-28.84%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$3.59 €3.20

10.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.39

$17.52 €15.63

-27.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.05

$12.09 €10.79

-34.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.14

$21.70 €19.37

-21.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.61 €2.33

-13.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.31 €2.06

-24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.65 €2.36

-30.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.39 €3.03

-24.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.14 €1.91

-13.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.10 €0.98

83.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.31 €1.17

9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.72 €0.64

13.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.85

$12.67 €11.31

-48.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.02

$8.81 €7.86

-36.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.66 €1.48

-22.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.97 €1.75

5.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.85 €2.54

-17.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.43

$40.92 €36.52

7.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.56

$5.66 €5.05

-29.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.76 €2.46

-60.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.86

$43.80 €39.09

-62.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.84 €1.64

23.91%

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

$33.7K €30.1K

$29.7K €26.5K

13.36%

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

$39.3K €35.1K

$32.8K €29.3K

19.86%

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

$167 €149

$208 €185

-19.33%

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

$18.80 €16.77

$21.74 €19.40

-13.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.53

$47.26 €42.18

-29.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.06

$32.19 €28.73

42.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.13

$28.18 €25.15

-31.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.78

$15.02 €13.40

-34.49%

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

$677 €604

$1,628 €1,453

-58.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$16.5K €14.7K

2.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.4

$109 €97.0

-6.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.84

$52.3 €46.64

-12.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €89.2

$88.1 €78.6

13.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$88.4 €78.9

38.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,440

$798 €712

102.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,068

$815 €727

46.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,554

$1,031 €920

177.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,776

$1,043 €931

90.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,762

$2,863 €2,555

164.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,844

$2,916 €2,603

47.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,417

$2,306 €2,058

-31.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.46

11.27%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Charleroi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Charleroi

$815 40.4% 31.9% $382

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Charleroi

$344 17.1% 27.9% $75

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Charleroi

$297 14.7% 22.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Charleroi

$277 13.7% 26.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Charleroi

$152 7.5% 8.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Charleroi

$62 3.1% 5.3% $3.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Charleroi

$72 3.6% 13.9% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $798 in Charleroi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charleroi pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $82.0 in Charleroi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $344 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇪 Charleroi

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

07:35 7:35 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

202,730

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Charleroi 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Charleroi

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 Charleroi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Charleroi differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,019 including rent). Charleroi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Charleroi. 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 $798 in Charleroi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Charleroi runs roughly 8% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $1,628 in Charleroi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,019 in Charleroi versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Charleroi but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Charleroi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Charleroi 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 Charleroi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.