Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acosta and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Acosta: $1,752 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Acosta
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,752
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,752 in Acosta versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Acosta $1,752
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,725 in Acosta versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Acosta $2,725
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,698 in Acosta versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Acosta $3,698
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Acosta costs roughly 21% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Acosta 30% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Acosta
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 ₡5,328
$16.50 €14.67
-28.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.0 ₡26.4K
$61.3 €54.5
-3.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.56 ₡5,184
$11.27 €10.03
2.57%
Cappuccino
$4.17 ₡1,869
$3.06 €2.72
36.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 ₡1,138
$2.26 €2.01
12.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 ₡830
$1.73 €1.54
6.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 ₡1,432
$3.39 €3.02
-5.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 ₡1,960
$3.40 €3.02
28.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Acosta
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ₡938
$1.12 €1.00
86.61%
White Bread (500g)
$2.47 ₡1,110
$1.86 €1.65
32.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.30 ₡1,032
$1.53 €1.36
50.33%
Eggs
$3.75 ₡1,680
$3.96 €3.53
-5.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.95 ₡4,912
$12.76 €11.35
-14.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.91 ₡4,894
$7.90 €7.02
38.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.12 ₡6,781
$16.97 €15.09
-10.90%
Apples (1kg)
$5.79 ₡2,595
$2.27 €2.02
155.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 ₡799
$1.75 €1.55
1.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.53 ₡1,584
$1.85 €1.64
90.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.23 ₡1,448
$2.57 €2.28
25.68%
Potato (1kg)
$3.26 ₡1,464
$1.86 €1.65
75.27%
Onion (1kg)
$3.44 ₡1,544
$2.02 €1.80
70.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 ₡471
$1.44 €1.28
-27.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.39 ₡1,073
$0.82 €0.73
191.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.94 ₡2,215
$6.56 €5.83
-24.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.53 ₡7,861
$5.62 €5.00
211.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 ₡1,019
$1.28 €1.14
77.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 ₡1,104
$2.07 €1.84
18.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Acosta
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.15 ₡516
$2.35 €2.09
-51.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.18 €39.30
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 ₡1,026
$3.99 €3.55
-42.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 ₡715
$1.09 €0.97
45.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.52 ₡4,271
$16.64 €14.81
-42.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 ₡653
$2.28 €2.03
-35.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K ₡10.0M
$33.7K €30.0K
-34.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.8K ₡13.8M
$39.3K €35.0K
-21.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Acosta
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.7 ₡42.0K
$167 €149
-44.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.27 ₡15.4K
$18.80 €16.72
82.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.5 ₡25.8K
$33.09 €29.43
73.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Acosta
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.9 ₡34.5K
$46.01 €40.93
67.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.19 €17.07
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.96 ₡3,571
$9.84 €8.75
-19.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Acosta
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$845 ₡379.1K
$677 €602
24.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.3K ₡8.2M
$16.9K €15.1K
8.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Acosta
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$81.0 ₡36.3K
$101 €90.1
-20.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$45.76 €40.70
21.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$143 ₡64.0K
$100.0 €88.9
42.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 ₡51.3K
$123 €109
-6.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Acosta
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$787 ₡353.0K
$1,614 €1,436
-51.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$686 ₡307.7K
$1,197 €1,065
-42.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,977 ₡886.4K
$2,862 €2,545
-30.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,274 ₡571.5K
$1,990 €1,770
-35.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,943 ₡871.5K
$7,577 €6,740
-74.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,307 €3,831
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Acosta
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,511 ₡677.5K
$1,588 €1,412
-4.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
3.85
123.90%

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

Last update for Acosta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Acosta
$686
Lisbon
$1.2K 74.5% $511
Groceries & Markets
Acosta
$373
Lisbon
$269 27.9% $104
Eating Out
Acosta
$222
Lisbon
$242 9.1% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Acosta
$186
Lisbon
$219 18.3% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Acosta
$177
Lisbon
$166 6% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Acosta
$93
Lisbon
$66 29.3% $27
Getting Around
Acosta
$15 *
Lisbon
$63 324% $48

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 $787 in Acosta and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 5% 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: $59.0 in Acosta vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $373 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Acosta
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
22:26 10:26 PM
05:26 5:26 AM
7 h ahead of Acosta
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,072
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Acosta Lisbon 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Acosta
  • 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
Acosta vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Acosta and in Lisbon?
Acosta and Lisbon differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,752 vs $2,223 including rent). Acosta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Acosta and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $787 in Acosta versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 39% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Acosta or Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $1,752 per month in Acosta versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $1,752 in Acosta versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Acosta but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Acosta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Acosta and Lisbon?
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.
Is Acosta or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Acosta 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.
Where should expats move: Acosta or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Acosta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Acosta vs other spots: cost of living compared

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