Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Knoxville, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,576 in Knoxville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Knoxville, TN
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Knoxville, TN Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Knoxville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,576

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Knoxville, TN

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 Knoxville, TN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,576 in Knoxville, TN.

Lisbon $2,202
Knoxville, TN $2,576

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,786 in Knoxville, TN.

Lisbon $3,274
Knoxville, TN $3,786

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,997 in Knoxville, TN.

Lisbon $4,346
Knoxville, TN $4,997

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 15% less than in Knoxville, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Knoxville, TN 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$17.71 $17.71

-3.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$74.6 $74.6

-16.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.86 $9.86

11.76%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$5.38 $5.38

-42.01%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.83 $2.83

-19.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.75 $2.75

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.36 $6.36

-46.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.60 $6.60

-43.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.06 $1.06

10.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.47 $3.47

-46.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.56 $4.56

-66.23%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.46 $4.46

-8.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$10.08 $10.08

28.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.22 $9.22

-14.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.91 $14.91

18.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$7.04 $7.04

-67.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.55 $1.55

12.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.87 $2.87

-34.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$5.58 $5.58

-54.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.16 $2.16

-14.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$4.36 $4.36

-54.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.23 $2.23

-34.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.19 $2.19

-64.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$8.99 $8.99

-25.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$15.23 $15.23

-62.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.91 $1.91

-28.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.14 $3.14

-32.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.02 $1.02

127.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$29.58 $29.58

50.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$5.10 $5.10

-22.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.51 $1.51

-30.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$29.87 $29.87

-42.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.01 $1.01

116.83%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$27.9K $27.9K

21.24%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$27.3K $27.3K

40.25%

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

$164 €146

$223 $223

-26.64%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$74.4 $74.4

-75.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$53.1 $53.1

-37.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$29.37 $29.37

56.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$21.90 $21.90

-14.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$15.20 $15.20

-35.86%

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

$684 €608

$1,246 $1,246

-45.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$24.5K $24.5K

-28.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$50.9 $50.9

103.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$45.53 $45.53

1.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$112 $112

-10.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$123 $123

1.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,811 $1,811

-12.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,284 $1,284

-8.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,901 $2,901

-1.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,144 $2,144

-7.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,681 $4,681

66.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,243 $2,243

96.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$3,622 $3,622

-55.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.64

-42.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Knoxville, TN: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Knoxville, TN

$1.3K 49.8% 9.8% $115

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Knoxville, TN

$383 14.9% 40.3% $110

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Knoxville, TN

$303 11.8% 22.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Knoxville, TN

$351 13.6% 63% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Knoxville, TN

$149 5.8% 11.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Knoxville, TN

$60 2.3% 8.6% $5.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Knoxville, TN

$46 1.8% 26.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,811 in Knoxville, TN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Knoxville, TN pays 126% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $75.0 in Knoxville, TN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $383 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Knoxville, TN

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

22:15 10:15 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

190,740

💱 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 Knoxville, TN 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Knoxville, TN

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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 Knoxville, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Knoxville, TN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 126% lower in Knoxville, TN. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,811 in Knoxville, TN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Knoxville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $75.0 in Knoxville, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,576 in Knoxville, TN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Knoxville, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,202 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Knoxville, TN 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Knoxville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.