Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Clayton, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,539 in Clayton, NC, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Clayton, NC
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Clayton, NC Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Clayton, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $2,539 in Clayton, NC, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Clayton, NC $2,539

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $3,539 in Clayton, NC, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Clayton, NC $3,539

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $4,539 in Clayton, NC, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Clayton, NC $4,539

Lisbon is about 13% cheaper than Clayton, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Clayton, NC sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Clayton, NC by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$21.72 $21.72

-21.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$89.4 $89.4

-30.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.35 $11.35

-2.91%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.81 $5.81

-46.30%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.77 $2.77

-18.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.22 $2.22

-21.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.83 $5.83

-41.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$7.21 $7.21

-48.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.05 $1.05

11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.83 $3.83

-51.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.03 $3.03

-49.17%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.60 $4.60

-11.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.69 $9.69

33.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.80 $9.80

-19.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$17.67 $17.67

-0.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.74 $4.74

-52.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.38 $1.38

26.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.47 $4.47

-57.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.39 $4.39

-41.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.74 $2.74

-32.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.41 $2.41

-18.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.18 $2.18

-33.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.01 $2.01

-61.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$9.17 $9.17

-26.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$12.78 $12.78

-55.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.16 $2.16

-36.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.77 $2.77

-23.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.20 $2.20

5.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.47 $2.47

59.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.57 $1.57

-33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$17.95 $17.95

-4.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.02 $1.02

114.71%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$27.3K $27.3K

23.61%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$25.9K $25.9K

48.01%

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

$164 €146

$185 $185

-11.37%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$56.0 $56.0

-67.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$71.9 $71.9

-54.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$43.58 $43.58

5.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$15.11 $15.11

-35.47%

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

$684 €608

$1,471 $1,471

-53.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$24.8K $24.8K

-28.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$54.7 $54.7

89.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$46.41 $46.41

-0.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$91.2 $91.2

9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$120 $120

3.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,607 $1,607

-1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,282 $1,282

-8.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,669 $1,669

70.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,675 $1,675

18.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,115 $3,115

150.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,599 $2,599

69.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.49

-40.68%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Clayton, NC: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Clayton, NC

$1.3K 50.5% 9.6% $112

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Clayton, NC

$370 14.6% 35.5% $97

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Clayton, NC

$341 13.4% 37.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Clayton, NC

$313 12.3% 45.3% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Clayton, NC

$141 5.5% 16.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Clayton, NC

$74 2.9% 12.9% $8.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Clayton, NC

$19 * 0.8% 69.6% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,607 in Clayton, NC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $89.0 in Clayton, NC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $370 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Clayton, NC

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

00:48 12:48 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

17,355

💱 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 Clayton, NC 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Clayton, NC

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 Clayton, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon, $2,539 in Clayton, NC – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $3,808 in Clayton, NC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,202 in Lisbon and $2,539 in Clayton, NC. That's a gap of about 15%.

Kindergarten costs $684 per month in Lisbon and $1,471 in Clayton, NC. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Clayton, NC at $2,539. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Clayton, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,202 in Lisbon to $2,539 in Clayton, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Clayton, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.