Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and North Charleston, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,964 in North Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in North Charleston, SC
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North Charleston, SC Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

North Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,964 in North Charleston, SC.

Lisbon $2,206
North Charleston, SC $2,964

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $4,247 in North Charleston, SC.

Lisbon $3,276
North Charleston, SC $4,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $5,530 in North Charleston, SC.

Lisbon $4,346
North Charleston, SC $5,530

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 26% less than in North Charleston, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, North Charleston, SC 119% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$19.99 $19.99

-15.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$90.6 $90.6

-32.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$11.77 $11.77

-6.71%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$5.85 $5.85

-47.86%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.92 $2.92

-21.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.48 $2.48

-32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$5.86 $5.86

-41.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$8.03 $8.03

-51.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.99 $0.99

16.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.74 $3.74

-49.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$4.52 $4.52

-66.81%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$4.94 $4.94

-16.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$6.98 $6.98

86.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$14.80 $14.80

-45.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$20.65 $20.65

-13.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$7.99 $7.99

-71.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.77 $1.77

-1.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$5.03 $5.03

-63.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$6.17 $6.17

-56.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$4.24 $4.24

-58.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$3.25 $3.25

-40.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.69 $2.69

-45.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.97 $1.97

-61.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$9.07 $9.07

-26.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$15.52 $15.52

-63.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.11 $2.11

-38.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.98 $2.98

-28.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.47 $2.47

-6.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$50.1 $50.1

-12.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$2.94 $2.94

35.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.22 $1.22

-47.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$25.47 $25.47

-25.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.01 $1.01

125.74%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$26.7K $26.7K

24.81%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$25.1K $25.1K

53.57%

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

$158 €141

$233 $233

-32.05%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$74.5 $74.5

-76.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$84.9 $84.9

-63.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$17.26 $17.26

158.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$14.28 $14.28

-32.91%

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

$674 €599

$933 $933

-27.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$18.4K $18.4K

1.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$55.8 $55.8

83.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$43.75 $43.75

4.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$115 $115

-10.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$129 $129

-5.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$2,000 $2,000

-17.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$1,525 $1,525

-22.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$2,474 $2,474

14.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$2,330 $2,330

-13.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$2,861 $2,861

173.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$2,816 $2,816

66.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

$3,763 $3,763

-55.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.61

-42.21%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for North Charleston, SC: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

North Charleston, SC

$1.5K 51.5% 28.5% $338

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

North Charleston, SC

$445 15% 62% $170

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

North Charleston, SC

$332 11.2% 35.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

North Charleston, SC

$392 13.2% 89.5% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

North Charleston, SC

$155 5.2% 7.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

North Charleston, SC

$46 1.6% 28.2% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

North Charleston, SC

$69 2.3% 14.2% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $2,000 in North Charleston, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Charleston, SC pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $91 in North Charleston, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $445 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 North Charleston, SC

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

97,471

💱 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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Between locations

Lisbon North Charleston, SC 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
North Charleston, 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 North Charleston, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,964 in North Charleston, SC, so Lisbon is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 55% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $2,000 in North Charleston, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $933 in North Charleston, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in North Charleston, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in North Charleston, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.