Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Columbia, SC

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Columbia, SC: $2,210 and $2,193 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, SC
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Columbia, SC Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Columbia, SC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,193 in Columbia, SC.

Lisbon $2,210
Columbia, SC $2,193

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,366 in Columbia, SC.

Lisbon $3,275
Columbia, SC $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,538 in Columbia, SC.

Lisbon $4,341
Columbia, SC $4,538

Monthly costs are close between Lisbon and Columbia, SC; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Columbia, SC 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$19.80 $19.80

-15.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$61.1 $61.1

1.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$11.97 $11.97

-5.10%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$5.42 $5.42

-45.20%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$2.80 $2.80

-18.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.18 $2.18

-20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$5.43 $5.43

-37.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$6.39 $6.39

-48.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.84 $0.84

38.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.53 $2.53

-24.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$4.52 $4.52

-66.59%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$4.03 $4.03

-0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$10.49 $10.49

23.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$11.14 $11.14

-30.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$15.89 $15.89

11.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.26 $5.26

-56.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.63 $1.63

6.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$6.45 $6.45

-71.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$6.17 $6.17

-58.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$3.10 $3.10

-41.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$4.36 $4.36

-54.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.01 $2.01

-26.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.79 $1.79

-59.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$8.40 $8.40

-21.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$15.62 $15.62

-64.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.83 $1.83

-25.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.68 $2.68

-20.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.98 $1.98

17.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

$40.15 $40.15

11.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$1.98 $1.98

94.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.59 $1.59

-32.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$17.89 $17.89

-7.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.91 $0.91

141.76%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$26.8K $26.8K

27.52%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$25.2K $25.2K

53.65%

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

$161 €144

$277 $277

-41.85%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$60.2 $60.2

-69.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$63.8 $63.8

-48.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$34.47 $34.47

29.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

$18.22 $18.22

4.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$15.22 $15.22

-36.93%

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

$668 €596

$1,117 $1,117

-40.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$22.9K $22.9K

-23.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$52.3 $52.3

95.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$39.57 $39.57

12.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$82.2 $82.2

19.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$114 $114

8.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$1,430 $1,430

12.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$832 $832

43.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$3,198 $3,198

-12.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$1,672 $1,672

20.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$2,313 $2,313

238.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$1,668 $1,668

174.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$3,240 $3,240

-51.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.56

-41.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Columbia, SC: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Columbia, SC

$832 37.9% 30.1% $358

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Columbia, SC

$389 17.7% 42.8% $117

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Columbia, SC

$319 14.6% 31.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Columbia, SC

$401 18.3% 88.9% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Columbia, SC

$130 5.9% 21.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Columbia, SC

$65 3% 1.8% $1.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Columbia, SC

$58 2.6% 8.2% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,430 in Columbia, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $61 in Columbia, SC. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $389, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

139,698

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Columbia, SC 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Columbia, SC

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 Columbia, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 51% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,430 in Columbia, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Columbia, SC runs roughly 10% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,117 in Columbia, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Columbia, SC gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.