Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sheldon, IA and Lisbon

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.

125

Cost of Living Index in Sheldon, IA
Learn more

Sheldon, IA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Sheldon, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,422

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Sheldon, IA is roughly 10% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.26 $20.26

$17.04 €15.15

18.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$62.3 €55.4

28.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.02 €9.80

-8.53%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$3.12 €2.78

95.83%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$2.27 €2.02

37.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.74 €1.55

29.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 $6.88

$3.42 €3.04

101.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.74 €3.33

112.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.17 €1.04

-26.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.86 €1.66

87.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$1.54 €1.37

322.08%

Eggs

$2.04 $2.04

$4.06 €3.61

-49.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 $10.31

$12.91 €11.49

-20.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.05 $13.05

$7.90 €7.03

65.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$17.64 €15.69

-50.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.26 €2.01

149.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.75 €1.55

-25.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$1.89 €1.68

195.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.56 €2.27

96.48%

Potato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.85 €1.64

141.62%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.97 €1.75

116.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.45 €1.29

36.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$0.77 €0.69

238.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.00 $13.00

$6.71 €5.97

93.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.21 $16.21

$5.67 €5.04

185.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.37 €1.22

105.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.11 €1.88

164.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.32 €2.07

-17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.95 €3.51

24.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.05 €0.93

65.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 $24.16

$17.15 €15.26

40.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.19 €1.95

-51.14%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$33.8K €30.0K

-11.07%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.3K €34.0K

-31.08%

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

$179 $179

$164 €146

9.44%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$18.48 €16.43

194.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.4 $72.4

$32.96 €29.32

119.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.61 $38.61

$45.87 €40.80

-15.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 $15.73

$9.75 €8.67

61.33%

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

$1,391 $1,391

$684 €608

103.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K $36.5K

$17.6K €15.7K

107.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 $57.0

$104 €92.3

-45.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.91 $44.91

$46.20 €41.09

-2.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 $99.7

$99.7 €88.7

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$125 €111

-14.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 $1,445

$1,589 €1,414

-9.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 $1,146

$1,169 €1,040

-1.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 $2,227

$2,851 €2,536

-21.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 $1,834

$1,993 €1,773

-7.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,825 $2,825

$7,793 €6,932

-63.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 $2,372

$4,418 €3,930

-46.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

3.85

72.99%

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

Last update for Sheldon, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sheldon, IA

$1.1K 47.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 2% $23

Groceries & Markets

Sheldon, IA

$402 16.6%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 32.1% $129

Eating Out

Sheldon, IA

$338 13.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 26.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sheldon, IA

$306 12.6%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 29.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Sheldon, IA

$139 5.7%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 21.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sheldon, IA

$70 2.9%

Lisbon

$65 3% 6.7% $4.7

Getting Around

Sheldon, IA

$21 * 0.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 195% $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 $1,445 in Sheldon, IA and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sheldon, IA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

6 h ahead of Sheldon, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,200

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Sheldon, IA
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

Sheldon, IA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $3,633 in Sheldon, IA and $3,302 in Lisbon 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: $1,445 in Sheldon, IA versus $1,589 in Lisbon. 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 $2,422 per month in Sheldon, IA versus $2,202 in Lisbon – 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, Sheldon, IA 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 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.