Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Hickory, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Hickory, NC: $2,070 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Hickory, NC
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Hickory, NC Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Hickory, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,070

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,070 in Hickory, NC.

Lisbon $2,223
Hickory, NC $2,070

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,958 in Hickory, NC.

Lisbon $3,271
Hickory, NC $2,958

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,847 in Hickory, NC.

Lisbon $4,319
Hickory, NC $3,847

Living in Lisbon is roughly 7% more expensive than in Hickory, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Hickory, NC 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$14.78 $14.78

11.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$61.7 $61.7

-0.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.82 $10.82

4.16%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.98 $4.98

-38.55%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.21 $2.21

2.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.64 $1.64

5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.52 $5.52

-38.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.93 $6.93

-50.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.85 $0.85

31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.72 $3.72

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.12 $3.12

-50.96%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.54 $3.54

11.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.40 $10.40

22.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$8.88 $8.88

-11.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$16.93 $16.93

0.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.07 $4.07

-44.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.69 $1.69

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.39 $2.39

-22.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.73 $1.73

48.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.29 $2.29

-18.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.36 $3.36

-39.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.87 $1.87

-22.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$2.18 $2.18

-62.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$8.18 $8.18

-19.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$14.72 $14.72

-61.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.66 $1.66

-22.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.08 $3.08

-32.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.28 $1.28

83.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$45.47 $45.47

-2.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.05 $2.05

94.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.37 $2.37

-54.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$18.24 $18.24

-8.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.86 $0.86

165.12%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$35.7K $35.7K

-5.69%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$25.1K $25.1K

56.85%

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

$167 €149

$139 $139

20.36%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$60.8 $60.8

-69.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$56.1 $56.1

-41.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$27.92 $27.92

64.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$14.20 $14.20

-30.70%

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

$677 €602

$355 $355

90.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$25.5K $25.5K

-33.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$40.13 $40.13

152.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$20.28 $20.28

125.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$39.82 $39.82

151.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$49.92 $49.92

145.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,267 $1,267

27.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,020 $1,020

17.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,649 $1,649

73.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,519 $1,519

31.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,198 $2,198

244.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,159 $2,159

99.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$4,550 $4,550

-65.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.53

-30.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hickory, NC: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Hickory, NC

$1K 49.3% 14.8% $178

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Hickory, NC

$339 16.4% 25.7% $69

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Hickory, NC

$267 12.9% 10.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Hickory, NC

$256 12.4% 16.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Hickory, NC

$68 3.3% 59.4% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Hickory, NC

$56 2.7% 14.3% $9.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Hickory, NC

$65 3.1% 2.4% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,267 in Hickory, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hickory, NC pays 187% 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 $62.0 in Hickory, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $339 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Hickory, NC

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

12:12 12:12 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

40,374

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Hickory, NC 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Hickory, 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 Hickory, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Hickory, NC differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,070 including rent). Hickory, NC is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 187% lower in Hickory, NC. 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 $1,267 in Hickory, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hickory, NC – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $2,070 in Hickory, NC – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,070 in Hickory, NC versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hickory, NC but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Hickory, NC 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 Hickory, NC 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 Hickory, NC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.