Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shelby, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Shelby, NC and in Lisbon: $2,104 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

101

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Shelby, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,104

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,104 in Shelby, NC versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Shelby, NC $2,104
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,929 in Shelby, NC versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Shelby, NC $2,929
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,754 in Shelby, NC versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Shelby, NC $3,754
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Shelby, NC costs roughly 4% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Shelby, NC 55% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.23 $14.23

$17.04 €15.15

-16.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.86 $34.86

$62.3 €55.4

-44.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 $9.08

$11.02 €9.80

-17.60%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.12 €2.78

72.44%

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

$1.53 $1.53

$2.27 €2.02

-32.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.74 €1.55

-27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.42 €3.04

-24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.74 €3.33

-21.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.17 €1.04

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.86 €1.66

75.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$1.54 €1.37

523.38%

Eggs

$5.11 $5.11

$4.06 €3.61

25.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.19 $18.19

$12.91 €11.49

40.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.49 $13.49

$7.90 €7.03

70.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.71 $26.71

$17.64 €15.69

51.42%

Apples (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.26 €2.01

240.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.75 €1.55

70.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$1.89 €1.68

265.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.34 $7.34

$2.56 €2.27

186.72%

Potato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.85 €1.64

156.76%

Onion (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$1.97 €1.75

206.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.45 €1.29

97.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$0.77 €0.69

362.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.57 $8.57

$6.71 €5.97

27.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$5.67 €5.04

161.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.37 €1.22

18.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.11 €1.88

110.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.32 €2.07

-8.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.80 $6.80

$3.95 €3.51

72.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.05 €0.93

123.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.21 $15.21

$17.15 €15.26

-11.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.19 €1.95

-54.79%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$33.8K €30.0K

-28.14%

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

$22.3K $22.3K

$38.3K €34.0K

-41.62%

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

$175 $175

$164 €146

6.98%

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

$35.60 $35.60

$18.48 €16.43

92.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.16 $49.16

$32.96 €29.32

49.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.26 $45.26

$45.87 €40.80

-1.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$9.75 €8.67

23.38%

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

$294 $294

$684 €608

-57.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K $10.0K

$17.6K €15.7K

-43.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.50 $39.50

$104 €92.3

-61.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.85 $31.85

$46.20 €41.09

-31.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 $70.0

$99.7 €88.7

-29.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 $79.1

$125 €111

-36.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 $827

$1,589 €1,414

-47.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$863 $863

$1,169 €1,040

-26.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 $1,234

$2,851 €2,536

-56.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 $1,113

$1,993 €1,773

-44.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,887 $1,887

$7,793 €6,932

-75.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,873 $1,873

$4,418 €3,930

-57.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,497 $2,497

$1,600 €1,423

56.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

3.85

65.71%

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

Last update for Shelby, NC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shelby, NC

$863 41%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 35.4% $306

Groceries & Markets

Shelby, NC

$550 26.1%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 50.3% $277

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shelby, NC

$260 12.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 17.2% $45

Eating Out

Shelby, NC

$236 11.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 5.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Shelby, NC

$99 4.7%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 69.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Shelby, NC

$69 3.3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 5.7% $3.9

Getting Around

Shelby, NC

$27 * 1.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 133% $36

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 $827 in Shelby, NC and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shelby, NC pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Shelby, NC vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $550 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Shelby, NC

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

5 h ahead of Shelby, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,378

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Shelby, NC Lisbon 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Shelby, 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

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

Shelby, NC and Lisbon differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,104 vs $2,202 including rent). Shelby, NC is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Shelby, NC, 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: $827 in Shelby, NC versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 101% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,104 per month in Shelby, NC versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,104 in Shelby, NC versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shelby, NC but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Shelby, NC 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, Shelby, NC and Lisbon 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 Shelby, NC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.