Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Elizabeth City, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Elizabeth City, NC
🇺🇸 United States
$2,456
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Elizabeth City, NC $2,456

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $3,522 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Elizabeth City, NC $3,522

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $4,588 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Elizabeth City, NC $4,588

Lisbon is about 10% cheaper than Elizabeth City, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Elizabeth City, NC sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Elizabeth City, NC by 81%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$11.95 $11.95
42.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$34.93 $34.93
78.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$11.60 $11.60
-5.00%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$5.84 $5.84
-46.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.52 $2.52
-9.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$2.04 $2.04
-14.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$6.14 $6.14
-44.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$7.09 $7.09
-47.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$0.95 $0.95
23.16%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$3.65 $3.65
-49.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$3.00 $3.00
-48.67%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$4.78 $4.78
-15.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$10.81 $10.81
19.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$10.01 $10.01
-21.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$17.49 $17.49
0.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$4.38 $4.38
-48.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.28 $1.28
36.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$4.39 $4.39
-56.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$4.53 $4.53
-43.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.16 $2.16
-14.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$2.21 $2.21
-10.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$2.01 $2.01
-27.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$2.23 $2.23
-65.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$8.86 $8.86
-24.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$14.74 $14.74
-61.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$2.12 $2.12
-35.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$2.65 $2.65
-20.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$1.81 $1.81
28.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$2.92 $2.92
35.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$1.93 $1.93
-45.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$18.19 $18.19
-5.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.00 $1.00
119.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$30.6K $30.6K
10.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$25.6K $25.6K
49.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$183 $183
-10.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$56.8 $56.8
-67.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$59.6 $59.6
-44.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$45.64 $45.64
0.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$15.06 $15.06
-35.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$1,491 $1,491
-54.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$24.9K $24.9K
-29.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$54.7 $54.7
89.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$40.11 $40.11
15.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$87.8 $87.8
13.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$143 $143
-12.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$1,584 $1,584
0.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$1,279 $1,279
-8.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$2,494 $2,494
14.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$2,164 $2,164
-7.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$2,870 $2,870
171.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$2,355 $2,355
87.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
6.61
-41.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Elizabeth City, NC: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Elizabeth City, NC
$1.3K 9.4% $110
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Elizabeth City, NC
$373 36.6% $100
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Elizabeth City, NC
$264 6.5% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Elizabeth City, NC
$299 39.1% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Elizabeth City, NC
$146 13.2% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Elizabeth City, NC
$76 15.9% $10
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Elizabeth City, NC
$20 * 68.5% $43

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 $1,584 in Elizabeth City, 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 $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Lisbon vs $373 in Elizabeth City, NC – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇺🇸 Elizabeth City, NC
🕒 Local time
04:18 4:18 AM
23:18 11:18 PM
5 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
18,683
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Elizabeth City, NC 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Elizabeth City, 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 Elizabeth City, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Lisbon and in Elizabeth City, NC compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon, $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Elizabeth City, NC?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $3,685 in Elizabeth City, NC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Lisbon and Elizabeth City, NC?
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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 37% more in Elizabeth City, NC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Elizabeth City, NC at $2,456. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elizabeth City, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Elizabeth City, NC?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,202 in Lisbon to $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Lisbon or Elizabeth City, NC safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Lisbon and Elizabeth City, NC?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Elizabeth City, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?