Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roanoke, VA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Roanoke, VA: $2,127 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Roanoke, VA
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Roanoke, VA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Roanoke, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,127

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,127 in Roanoke, VA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Roanoke, VA $2,127
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,041 in Roanoke, VA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Roanoke, VA $3,041
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,955 in Roanoke, VA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Roanoke, VA $3,955
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Roanoke, VA costs roughly 4% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Roanoke, VA 56% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 $17.21

$16.65 €14.91

3.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 $55.1

$61.7 €55.3

-10.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 $11.46

$11.36 €10.17

0.88%

Cappuccino

$5.29 $5.29

$2.97 €2.66

78.11%

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

$2.32 $2.32

$2.29 €2.05

1.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.74 €1.56

36.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 $4.43

$3.40 €3.05

30.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.31 €2.96

110.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.16 €1.04

-21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.91 €1.71

53.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.51 €1.35

195.36%

Eggs

$3.37 $3.37

$4.02 €3.60

-16.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 $13.92

$12.94 €11.59

7.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.30 $10.30

$7.77 €6.96

32.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 $16.79

$17.76 €15.91

-5.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.30 €2.06

138.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.73 €1.55

-30.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.86 €1.66

105.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.59 €2.32

74.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.82 €1.63

26.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.97 €1.76

56.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.47 €1.32

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.72 €0.65

194.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.09 $9.09

$6.58 €5.90

38.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 $11.90

$5.61 €5.02

112.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.36 €1.22

23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

$2.14 €1.91

-32.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.33 €2.09

-22.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 $56.9

$44.68 €40.01

27.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 $0.60

$1.07 €0.96

-43.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.20 €1.97

-60.45%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$34.2K €30.6K

4.96%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K €34.7K

-32.74%

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

$122 $122

$161 €144

-24.58%

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

$55.2 $55.2

$18.41 €16.49

199.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$32.74 €29.32

95.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.30 $37.30

$44.55 €39.90

-16.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.28 $23.28

$19.10 €17.10

21.88%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 $12.30

$9.60 €8.60

28.13%

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

$559 $559

$668 €598

-16.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.98 $44.98

$102 €91.4

-55.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 $34.85

$44.46 €39.82

-21.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 $93.0

$98.5 €88.2

-5.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$124 €111

7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 $1,165

$1,608 €1,440

-27.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$961 $961

$1,190 €1,066

-19.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 $1,892

$2,812 €2,519

-32.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 $1,359

$2,013 €1,803

-32.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,163 $2,163

$7,839 €7,021

-72.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,844 $1,844

$4,576 €4,098

-59.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,298 $3,298

$1,575 €1,411

109.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

3.85

76.88%

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

Last update for Roanoke, VA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roanoke, VA

$961 45.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 23.9% $229

Groceries & Markets

Roanoke, VA

$368 17.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 26% $96

Eating Out

Roanoke, VA

$291 13.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 16.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roanoke, VA

$241 11.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 11.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Roanoke, VA

$138 6.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 20.6% $28

Getting Around

Roanoke, VA

$67 * 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 5.7% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Roanoke, VA

$62 2.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 3% $1.9

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 $1,165 in Roanoke, VA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roanoke, VA pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Roanoke, VA vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Roanoke, VA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

21:51 9:51 PM

5 h ahead of Roanoke, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,837

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

Roanoke, VA Lisbon 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Roanoke, VA
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

Roanoke, VA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,127 in Roanoke, VA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Roanoke, VA is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Roanoke, VA is about 2.1 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: $1,165 in Roanoke, VA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $559 in Roanoke, VA versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 26% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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