Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Charlottesville, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Charlottesville, VA, United States
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Charlottesville, VA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,027
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Charlottesville, VA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Charlottesville, VA $3,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,500 in Charlottesville, VA.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Charlottesville, VA $4,500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,973 in Charlottesville, VA.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Charlottesville, VA $5,973

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 27% less than in Charlottesville, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Charlottesville, VA 122% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Charlottesville, VA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$19.93 $19.93
-16.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$98.8 $98.8
-37.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$12.96 $12.96
-12.35%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$4.49 $4.49
-33.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$2.73 $2.73
-16.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.95 $1.95
-10.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$6.53 $6.53
-47.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$5.83 $5.83
-43.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Charlottesville, VA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.17 $1.17
-0.85%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$3.68 $3.68
-48.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$6.50 $6.50
-76.77%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$5.06 $5.06
-20.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$16.01 $16.01
-19.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$15.33 $15.33
-49.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$17.87 $17.87
-0.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$6.59 $6.59
-65.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$3.83 $3.83
-54.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$7.31 $7.31
-74.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$7.87 $7.87
-67.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$6.43 $6.43
-71.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$6.43 $6.43
-69.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$2.43 $2.43
-39.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$3.24 $3.24
-77.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$9.71 $9.71
-32.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$14.67 $14.67
-61.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.78 $1.78
-23.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$3.83 $3.83
-44.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Charlottesville, VA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$3.97 $3.97
-3.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$2.07 $2.07
-48.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$25.31 $25.31
-34.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.04 $1.04
111.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$31.0K $31.0K
10.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$25.5K $25.5K
51.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Charlottesville, VA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$284 $284
-43.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$52.3 $52.3
-64.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$102 $102
-68.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Charlottesville, VA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
$55.9 $55.9
-20.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
$7.58 $7.58
151.98%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$16.69 $16.69
-42.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Charlottesville, VA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$1,418 $1,418
-52.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$29.9K $29.9K
-41.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Charlottesville, VA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$47.68 $47.68
113.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$47.97 $47.97
-7.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$93.7 $93.7
5.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$122 $122
1.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Charlottesville, VA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
$1,839 $1,839
-12.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$1,505 $1,505
-20.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$3,189 $3,189
-11.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
$2,610 $2,610
-22.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
$3,203 $3,203
144.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
$2,513 $2,513
82.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Charlottesville, VA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$4,632 $4,632
-66.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
6.59
-41.58%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Charlottesville, VA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Charlottesville, VA
$1.5K 26.5% $315
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Charlottesville, VA
$524 92.5% $252
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Charlottesville, VA
$315 29.9% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Charlottesville, VA
$438 106% $226
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Charlottesville, VA
$140 15.6% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Charlottesville, VA
$89 40.1% $26
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Charlottesville, VA
$14 * 77.4% $49

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,839 in Charlottesville, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charlottesville, VA pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $99 in Charlottesville, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $524 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇺🇸 Charlottesville, VA
🕒 Local time
20:43 8:43 PM
16:43 4:43 PM
4 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
43,475
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Charlottesville, VA 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Charlottesville, VA

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 Charlottesville, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Charlottesville, VA?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA, so Lisbon is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
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.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Charlottesville, VA?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,839 in Charlottesville, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Charlottesville, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Charlottesville, VA?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA – Lisbon is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Charlottesville, VA. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Charlottesville, VA?
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.
How do I decide between Lisbon and Charlottesville, VA?
It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Charlottesville, VA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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