Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcala de Henares and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcala de Henares: $1,909 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Alcala de Henares, Spain
Lisbon, Portugal
Alcala de Henares
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,909
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,909 in Alcala de Henares versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Alcala de Henares $1,909
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,723 in Alcala de Henares versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Alcala de Henares $2,723
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Alcala de Henares versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Alcala de Henares $3,537
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Alcala de Henares costs roughly 14% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alcala de Henares 40% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Alcala de Henares
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.95 €15.18
$16.65 €14.91
1.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 €59.0
$61.7 €55.3
6.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.11 €9.95
$11.36 €10.17
-2.20%
Cappuccino
$2.66 €2.39
$2.97 €2.66
-10.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 €2.88
$2.29 €2.05
40.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 €1.74
$1.74 €1.56
12.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.86 €3.45
$3.40 €3.05
13.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.88 €4.37
$3.31 €2.96
47.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Alcala de Henares
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 €1.08
$1.16 €1.04
4.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 €1.40
$1.91 €1.71
-18.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.71 €1.53
$1.51 €1.35
13.25%
Eggs
$2.88 €2.58
$4.02 €3.60
-28.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$22.52 €20.17
$12.94 €11.59
74.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.16 €8.21
$7.77 €6.96
17.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.66 €15.81
$17.76 €15.91
-0.56%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 €2.50
$2.30 €2.06
21.30%
Banana (1kg)
$2.38 €2.13
$1.73 €1.55
37.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 €1.96
$1.86 €1.66
17.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.60 €2.33
$2.59 €2.32
0.39%
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 €1.92
$1.82 €1.63
17.58%
Onion (1kg)
$2.16 €1.93
$1.97 €1.76
9.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.47 €1.32
2.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 €0.67
$0.72 €0.65
4.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.06 €5.43
$6.58 €5.90
-7.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.80 €6.99
$5.61 €5.02
39.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 €1.06
$1.36 €1.22
-13.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.14 €1.91
-
🚌 Getting Around
Alcala de Henares
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.47 €1.31
$2.33 €2.09
-36.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.73 €40.95
$44.68 €40.01
2.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.70 €3.32
$3.85 €3.45
-3.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 €1.73
$1.07 €0.96
80.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.94 €20.55
$16.46 €14.74
39.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 €1.54
$2.20 €1.97
-21.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.8K €29.4K
$34.2K €30.6K
-4.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K €27.4K
$38.7K €34.7K
-20.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alcala de Henares
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 €169
$161 €144
16.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.42 €17.39
$18.41 €16.49
5.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.79 €27.58
$32.74 €29.32
-5.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Alcala de Henares
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.53 €37.19
$44.55 €39.90
-6.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.27 €7.40
$19.10 €17.10
-56.70%
Cinema Ticket
$9.49 €8.50
$9.60 €8.60
-1.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Alcala de Henares
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$182 €163
$668 €598
-72.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,892 €5,277
$17.6K €15.8K
-66.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Alcala de Henares
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.7 €66.0
$102 €91.4
-27.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.88 €32.14
$44.46 €39.82
-19.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.1 €69.1
$98.5 €88.2
-21.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.7 €85.7
$124 €111
-22.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Alcala de Henares
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$983 €881
$1,608 €1,440
-38.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$854 €765
$1,190 €1,066
-28.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,791 €1,604
$2,812 €2,519
-36.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,156 €1,035
$2,013 €1,803
-42.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,266 €3,821
$7,839 €7,021
-45.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,423 €3,066
$4,576 €4,098
-25.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Alcala de Henares
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,741 €1,559
$1,575 €1,411
10.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.14
3.85
-18.44%

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

Last update for Alcala de Henares: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Alcala de Henares
$854
Lisbon
$1.2K 39.4% $336
Groceries & Markets
Alcala de Henares
$314
Lisbon
$272 13.2% $42
Eating Out
Alcala de Henares
$251
Lisbon
$243 3.2% $8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alcala de Henares
$239
Lisbon
$212 11% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Alcala de Henares
$127
Lisbon
$166 30.6% $39
Getting Around
Alcala de Henares
$65
Lisbon
$63 2.7% $1.8
Sport & Entertainment
Alcala de Henares
$61
Lisbon
$64 5.3% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $983 in Alcala de Henares and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcala de Henares pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Alcala de Henares vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
02:10 2:10 AM
01:10 1:10 AM
1 h behind Alcala de Henares
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
199,184
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Alcala de Henares Lisbon 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Alcala de Henares
  • 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
Alcala de Henares vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Alcala de Henares and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,909 in Alcala de Henares and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Alcala de Henares is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Alcala de Henares or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 11% higher in Alcala de Henares, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Alcala de Henares and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $983 in Alcala de Henares versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Alcala de Henares and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $182 in Alcala de Henares versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $66 in Alcala de Henares. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How far does $3,000 go in Alcala de Henares compared to Lisbon?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Alcala de Henares gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Alcala de Henares 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 Alcala de Henares or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Alcala de Henares and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Alcala de Henares vs other spots: cost of living compared

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