Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Raleigh, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,643 in Raleigh, NC, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Raleigh, NC
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Raleigh, NC Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Raleigh, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,643

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Raleigh, NC and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Raleigh, NC and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,643 in Raleigh, NC versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Raleigh, NC $2,643
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,817 in Raleigh, NC versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Raleigh, NC $3,817
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,991 in Raleigh, NC versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Raleigh, NC $4,991
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Raleigh, NC is roughly 20% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Raleigh, NC 94% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.90 $21.90

$16.65 €14.91

31.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 $88.4

$61.7 €55.3

43.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 $11.44

$11.36 €10.17

0.70%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$2.97 €2.66

88.55%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$2.29 €2.05

23.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.74 €1.56

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.40 €3.05

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.31 €2.96

109.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.16 €1.04

-24.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.91 €1.71

98.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.51 €1.35

109.93%

Eggs

$4.78 $4.78

$4.02 €3.60

18.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.10 $15.10

$12.94 €11.59

16.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 $9.74

$7.77 €6.96

25.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 $17.81

$17.76 €15.91

0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$2.30 €2.06

187.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.73 €1.55

-27.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$1.86 €1.66

139.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.59 €2.32

122.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.82 €1.63

59.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.97 €1.76

83.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.47 €1.32

46.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.72 €0.65

206.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.64 $8.64

$6.58 €5.90

31.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$5.61 €5.02

169.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.36 €1.22

64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.14 €1.91

28.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.33 €2.09

-47.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.38 $40.38

$44.68 €40.01

-9.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.85 €3.45

-24.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.07 €0.96

79.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.79 $17.79

$16.46 €14.74

8.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.20 €1.97

-54.09%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$34.2K €30.6K

-9.86%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$38.7K €34.7K

-33.29%

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

$185 $185

$161 €144

14.99%

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

$56.7 $56.7

$18.41 €16.49

208.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$32.74 €29.32

109.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.01 $33.01

$44.55 €39.90

-25.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.90 $5.90

$19.10 €17.10

-69.11%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$9.60 €8.60

53.54%

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

$1,317 $1,317

$668 €598

97.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$17.6K €15.8K

36.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 $60.5

$102 €91.4

-40.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 $55.7

$44.46 €39.82

25.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$98.5 €88.2

3.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$124 €111

28.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 $1,715

$1,608 €1,440

6.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$1,190 €1,066

8.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 $2,825

$2,812 €2,519

0.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 $1,915

$2,013 €1,803

-4.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,556 $4,556

$7,839 €7,021

-41.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,115 $2,115

$4,576 €4,098

-53.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,605 $4,605

$1,575 €1,411

192.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

3.85

71.69%

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

Last update for Raleigh, NC: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Raleigh, NC

$1.3K 48.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 7.8% $100

Groceries & Markets

Raleigh, NC

$411 15.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 33.7% $139

Eating Out

Raleigh, NC

$341 12.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 28.9% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Raleigh, NC

$311 11.8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 31.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Raleigh, NC

$170 6.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 2.2% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Raleigh, NC

$62 2.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 2% $1.3

Getting Around

Raleigh, NC

$58 2.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 9.4% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,715 in Raleigh, NC and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Raleigh, NC pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Raleigh, NC vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Raleigh, NC

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

4 h ahead of Raleigh, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

431,746

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Raleigh, NC Lisbon 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Raleigh, NC
Lisbon

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

Raleigh, NC vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,643 in Raleigh, NC and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Raleigh, NC is about 2.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,715 in Raleigh, NC versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,317 in Raleigh, NC versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Raleigh, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon 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.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Raleigh, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.