Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sylva, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Sylva, NC: $2,136 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Sylva, NC
Learn more

Sylva, NC Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Sylva, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,136 in Sylva, NC.

Lisbon $2,206
Sylva, NC $2,136

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $3,219 in Sylva, NC.

Lisbon $3,276
Sylva, NC $3,219

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,303 in Sylva, NC.

Lisbon $4,346
Sylva, NC $4,303

Living in Lisbon is roughly 3% more expensive than in Sylva, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Sylva, NC 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.02

$14.29 $14.29

17.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$55.5 $55.5

10.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$10.67 $10.67

2.91%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$5.62 $5.62

-45.73%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.88 $2.88

-20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.11 $2.11

-20.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$5.91 $5.91

-41.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$5.04 $5.04

-22.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.83 $0.83

38.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.68 $2.68

-29.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$5.54 $5.54

-72.92%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$3.16 $3.16

30.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.59

$9.64 $9.64

34.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.17

$10.36 $10.36

-22.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.94

$15.49 $15.49

15.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$5.72 $5.72

-60.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.40 $1.40

24.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$6.40 $6.40

-71.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.25 $4.25

-36.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$4.22 $4.22

-58.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$4.05 $4.05

-52.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.74 $2.74

-46.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.07 $2.07

-63.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$8.90 $8.90

-25.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$11.09 $11.09

-49.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.72 $1.72

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$6.04 $6.04

-64.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.24 $2.24

2.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

$54.2 $54.2

-18.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$4.36 $4.36

-8.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.54 $1.54

-58.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

$24.09 $24.09

-21.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.99 $0.99

130.30%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$27.8K $27.8K

20.08%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$26.6K $26.6K

44.61%

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

$158 €141

$96.5 $96.5

63.88%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$40.67 $40.67

-56.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.78

$69.0 $69.0

-54.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.77

$39.71 $39.71

12.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$13.13 $13.13

-27.04%

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

$674 €600

$492 $492

36.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$17.3K $17.3K

8.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$30.22 $30.22

238.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

$32.87 $32.87

39.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$64.8 $64.8

57.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$74.1 $74.1

64.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$1,288 $1,288

27.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

$1,043 $1,043

13.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,516

$2,223 $2,223

27.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,798

$1,873 $1,873

7.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

$2,845 $2,845

175.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

$2,336 $2,336

101.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.56

-41.77%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sylva, NC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sylva, NC

$1K 48.9% 12.1% $144

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Sylva, NC

$380 17.8% 38.6% $106

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Sylva, NC

$273 12.8% 11.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Sylva, NC

$206 9.7% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Sylva, NC

$91 4.3% 45.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sylva, NC

$66 3.1% 3.4% $2.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Sylva, NC

$75 3.5% 24.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,288 in Sylva, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $55 in Sylva, NC. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $380, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Sylva, NC

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

20:06 8:06 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Sylva, NC 6,400 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,136 in Sylva, NC, so Sylva, NC is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $3,203 in Sylva, NC 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,288 in Sylva, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $492 in Sylva, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Sylva, NC is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.