Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and New Bern, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in New Bern, NC: $2,061 a month against $2,210 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
100

Cost of Living Index in New Bern, NC
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New Bern, NC Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

New Bern, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,061

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,061 in New Bern, NC.

Lisbon $2,210
New Bern, NC $2,061

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,317 in New Bern, NC.

Lisbon $3,275
New Bern, NC $3,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,573 in New Bern, NC.

Lisbon $4,341
New Bern, NC $4,573

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, New Bern, NC 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$18.15 $18.15

-8.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$86.1 $86.1

-28.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$11.90 $11.90

-4.54%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.19 $5.19

-42.77%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.93 $2.93

-21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.40 $2.40

-27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.03 $6.03

-43.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$7.20 $7.20

-54.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.95 $0.95

22.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.31 $3.31

-42.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$5.09 $5.09

-70.33%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.41 $3.41

17.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.01 $13.01

-0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$10.69 $10.69

-27.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$15.17 $15.17

17.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.25 $5.25

-56.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.30 $1.30

33.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.91 $2.91

-36.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.53 $5.53

-53.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.82 $2.82

-35.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.85 $2.85

-30.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.82 $1.82

-19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.21 $2.21

-67.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$7.37 $7.37

-10.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$12.47 $12.47

-55.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.87 $1.87

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.13 $2.13

0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.40 $3.40

13.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.30 $2.30

-53.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$32.86 $32.86

-49.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.81 $0.81

171.60%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$28.3K $28.3K

20.89%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$23.4K $23.4K

65.77%

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

$161 €144

$156 $156

3.43%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$71.7 $71.7

-74.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$67.7 $67.7

-51.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$55.6 $55.6

-19.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.18 $11.18

-14.13%

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

$668 €598

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$60.5 $60.5

68.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$35.32 $35.32

25.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$83.9 $83.9

17.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$87.7 $87.7

40.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,153 $1,153

39.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$869 $869

36.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$2,198 $2,198

27.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,847 $1,847

9.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$2,056 $2,056

281.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$2,078 $2,078

120.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,658 $3,658

-56.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.51

-40.86%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for New Bern, NC: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

New Bern, NC

$869 42.2% 27% $321

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

New Bern, NC

$374 18.2% 37.5% $102

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

New Bern, NC

$309 15% 27.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

New Bern, NC

$295 14.3% 39% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

New Bern, NC

$120 5.8% 27.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

New Bern, NC

$78 3.8% 22.2% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

New Bern, NC

$15 * 0.7% 76.4% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,153 in New Bern, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Bern, NC pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $86 in New Bern, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $374 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 New Bern, NC

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

18:54 6:54 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

31,291

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon New Bern, NC 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
New Bern, NC

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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 New Bern, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,061 in New Bern, NC, so New Bern, NC is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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 $1,153 in New Bern, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $86 in New Bern, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,061 in New Bern, NC – New Bern, NC is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though New Bern, NC 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.