Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sheldon, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,422 in Sheldon, IA, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. The total is higher in Sheldon, IA despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Sheldon, IA
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Sheldon, IA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Sheldon, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sheldon, IA

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 Sheldon, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,422 in Sheldon, IA.

Lisbon $2,202
Sheldon, IA $2,422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,545 in Sheldon, IA.

Lisbon $3,274
Sheldon, IA $3,545

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,668 in Sheldon, IA.

Lisbon $4,346
Sheldon, IA $4,668

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 9% less than in Sheldon, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sheldon, IA 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$20.26 $20.26

-15.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$80.2 $80.2

-22.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.08 $10.08

9.33%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$6.11 $6.11

-48.94%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.12 $3.12

-27.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.26 $2.26

-23.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.88 $6.88

-50.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$7.93 $7.93

-52.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.86 $0.86

36.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.49 $3.49

-46.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$6.50 $6.50

-76.31%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.04 $2.04

99.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$10.31 $10.31

25.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$13.05 $13.05

-39.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$8.69 $8.69

102.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$5.64 $5.64

-59.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.30 $1.30

34.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$5.59 $5.59

-66.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$5.03 $5.03

-49.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.47 $4.47

-58.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$4.26 $4.26

-53.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.98 $1.98

-26.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.61 $2.61

-70.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$13.00 $13.00

-48.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$16.21 $16.21

-65.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.82 $2.82

-51.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$5.58 $5.58

-62.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.92 $1.92

20.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.92 $4.92

-19.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.74 $1.74

-39.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$24.16 $24.16

-29.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.07 $1.07

104.67%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$30.0K $30.0K

12.45%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$26.4K $26.4K

45.09%

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

$164 €146

$179 $179

-8.63%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$54.4 $54.4

-66.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$72.4 $72.4

-54.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$38.61 $38.61

18.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$15.73 $15.73

-38.02%

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

$684 €608

$1,391 $1,391

-50.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$36.5K $36.5K

-51.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$57.0 $57.0

82.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$44.91 $44.91

2.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$99.7 $99.7

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$106 $106

17.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,445 $1,445

9.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,146 $1,146

1.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,227 $2,227

28.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,834 $1,834

8.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,825 $2,825

175.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,372 $2,372

86.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.66

-42.19%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sheldon, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Sheldon, IA

$1.1K 47.3% 1.9% $23

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Sheldon, IA

$402 16.6% 47.3% $129

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Sheldon, IA

$338 13.9% 36.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Sheldon, IA

$306 12.6% 42.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Sheldon, IA

$139 5.7% 17.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Sheldon, IA

$70 2.9% 7.2% $4.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sheldon, IA

$21 * 0.9% 66.1% $42

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,445 in Sheldon, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $80.0 in Sheldon, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $402 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Sheldon, IA

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

08:56 8:56 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

5,200

💱 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 Sheldon, IA 6,960 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Sheldon, IA

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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 Sheldon, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sheldon, IA differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,422 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $3,633 in Sheldon, IA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,445 in Sheldon, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Sheldon, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $2,422 in Sheldon, IA – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,422 in Sheldon, IA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Sheldon, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 Sheldon, IA 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 10% less than in Sheldon, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.