Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Alajuela: $1,006 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Alajuela
Learn more

Alajuela Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Alajuela

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,006

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,006 in Alajuela versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Alajuela $1,006
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,609 in Alajuela versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Alajuela $1,609
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,212 in Alajuela versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Alajuela $2,212
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Alajuela costs roughly 54% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alajuela is 26% below, Lisbon is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.08 ₡5,428

$16.86 €14.98

-28.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.28 ₡19.5K

$61.0 €54.2

-29.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 ₡4,937

$10.98 €9.75

Cappuccino

$4.52 ₡2,030

$3.05 €2.71

48.20%

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

$2.52 ₡1,132

$2.28 €2.03

10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₡806

$1.68 €1.49

6.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 ₡1,356

$3.44 €3.05

-12.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ₡1,756

$3.91 €3.47

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₡1,055

$1.15 €1.02

104.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₡499

$1.89 €1.68

-41.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₡965

$1.50 €1.33

43.33%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,549

$4.12 €3.66

-16.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 ₡4,759

$13.01 €11.55

-18.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,620

$8.04 €7.15

27.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,338

$17.89 €15.89

-21.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ₡970

$2.27 €2.02

-4.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡738

$1.74 €1.55

-5.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 ₡968

$1.82 €1.62

18.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,758

$2.69 €2.39

45.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,001

$1.77 €1.57

25.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 ₡974

$1.94 €1.72

11.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡461

$1.46 €1.30

-29.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₡443

$0.76 €0.68

28.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 ₡2,431

$6.66 €5.91

-18.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 ₡8,826

$5.64 €5.01

248.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ₡634

$1.29 €1.15

9.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₡439

$2.14 €1.90

-54.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₡346

$2.30 €2.04

-66.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$129 ₡58.0K

$44.02 €39.10

193.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡813

$3.98 €3.54

-54.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡827

$0.64 €0.57

187.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 ₡3,611

$18.93 €16.81

-57.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$2.28 €2.02

-34.21%

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

$33.3K ₡15.0M

$33.4K €29.6K

-0.14%

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

$28.1K ₡12.6M

$38.5K €34.2K

-27.06%

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

$80.0 ₡36.0K

$158 €141

-49.42%

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

$30.46 ₡13.7K

$17.54 €15.58

73.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 ₡26.4K

$31.18 €27.70

88.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ₡3,452

$9.58 €8.51

-19.83%

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

$972 ₡437.0K

$674 €598

44.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ₡8.4M

$18.7K €16.6K

0.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ₡32.2K

$102 €90.8

-29.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.8K

$45.90 €40.77

20.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$102 €90.8

25.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 ₡32.9K

$122 €108

-40.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ₡338.7K

$1,641 €1,457

-54.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 ₡634.4K

$2,825 €2,509

-50.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,060 ₡926.1K

$1,687 €1,499

22.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.82

125.65%

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

Last update for Alajuela: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alajuela

$306 30.5%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 10.4% $32

Eating Out

Alajuela

$224 22.3%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 9.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alajuela

$169 16.8%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 22.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Alajuela

$148 14.7%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 13.4% $20

Getting Around

Alajuela

$143 14.2%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 57.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Alajuela

$15 * 1.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 315% $48

Accommodation & Living

Alajuela

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

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 $753 in Alajuela and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alajuela pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Alajuela vs $61 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $275, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Alajuela

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

01:49 1:49 AM

6 h ahead of Alajuela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alajuela Lisbon 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alajuela
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

Alajuela vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alajuela is about 54% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Alajuela, 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: $753 in Alajuela versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 66% less than in Alajuela. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $972 in Alajuela versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,006 in Alajuela versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Alajuela but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Alajuela 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.