Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Union, SC and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Union, SC and in Lisbon: $2,296 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

113

Cost of Living Index in Union, SC
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Union, SC Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Union, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,296

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,296 in Union, SC versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Union, SC $2,296
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,597 in Union, SC versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Union, SC $3,597
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,897 in Union, SC versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Union, SC $4,897
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Union, SC is roughly 4% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Union, SC 69% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.15 $9.15

$17.04 €15.15

-46.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$62.3 €55.4

58.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 $8.51

$11.02 €9.80

-22.78%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$3.12 €2.78

91.67%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$2.27 €2.02

2.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.74 €1.55

11.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.42 €3.04

-18.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.74 €3.33

-8.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.17 €1.04

-8.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.86 €1.66

75.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.54 €1.37

59.09%

Eggs

$3.30 $3.30

$4.06 €3.61

-18.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$12.91 €11.49

-30.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$7.90 €7.03

68.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$17.64 €15.69

-16.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.26 €2.01

24.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.75 €1.55

-25.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.89 €1.68

71.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.56 €2.27

73.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.85 €1.64

28.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.97 €1.75

7.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.45 €1.29

20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.77 €0.69

67.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 $8.35

$6.71 €5.97

24.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$5.67 €5.04

54.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.37 €1.22

30.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.11 €1.88

144.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.32 €2.07

-9.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 $4.62

$3.95 €3.51

16.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.05 €0.93

187.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.96 $34.96

$17.15 €15.26

103.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.19 €1.95

-58.45%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$33.8K €30.0K

-17.20%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$38.3K €34.0K

-34.04%

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

$177 $177

$164 €146

8.09%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$18.48 €16.43

251.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.72 $45.72

$32.96 €29.32

38.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 $41.73

$45.87 €40.80

-9.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$9.75 €8.67

35.08%

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

$2,585 $2,585

$684 €608

277.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$17.6K €15.7K

30.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.21 $47.21

$104 €92.3

-54.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.96 $20.96

$46.20 €41.09

-54.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 $85.6

$99.7 €88.7

-14.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 $99.0

$125 €111

-20.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 $1,390

$1,589 €1,414

-12.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 $1,259

$1,169 €1,040

7.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$2,851 €2,536

-22.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,419 $2,419

$1,993 €1,773

21.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,700 $2,700

$7,793 €6,932

-65.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,125 $2,125

$4,418 €3,930

-51.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,496 $2,496

$1,600 €1,423

56.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.90%

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

Last update for Union, SC: 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

Union, SC

$1.3K 54.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 7.1% $90

Groceries & Markets

Union, SC

$332 14.4%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 17.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union, SC

$288 12.5%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 25.2% $72

Eating Out

Union, SC

$208 9.1%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 18.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Union, SC

$114 5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 48.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Union, SC

$68 3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 4% $2.7

Getting Around

Union, SC

$28 * 1.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 124% $35

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 $1,390 in Union, SC and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Union, SC pays 56% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $99.0 in Union, SC vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union, SC

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

5 h ahead of Union, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Union, SC Lisbon 6,300 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Union, SC
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

Union, SC vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Union, SC and Lisbon differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,296 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Union, SC, 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: $1,390 in Union, SC versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Union, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,296 per month in Union, SC versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,296 in Union, SC, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Union, SC. 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, Union, SC 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 4% less than in Union, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.