Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Lisbon Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Lisbon

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,857 in Alicante versus $2,316 in Lisbon.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,904 in Alicante versus $3,361 in Lisbon.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,951 in Alicante versus $4,405 in Lisbon.

Living in Alicante costs roughly 20% less than in Lisbon, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alicante 35% above, Lisbon 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 €14.93

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 €60.1

$63.3 €54.6

10.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 €9.95

$11.39 €9.83

1.23%

Cappuccino

$2.28 €1.96

$3.19 €2.75

-28.53%

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

$2.21 €1.91

$2.45 €2.11

-9.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.26

$1.76 €1.52

-17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 €3.09

$3.59 €3.10

-0.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.06

$3.39 €2.93

4.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €0.99

$1.24 €1.07

-7.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.98 €1.71

-14.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.52

$1.52 €1.31

15.79%

Eggs

$3.28 €2.83

$4.04 €3.49

-18.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.15 €15.66

$13.54 €11.68

34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 €8.77

$8.39 €7.24

21.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.85 €14.54

$18.25 €15.75

-7.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.39

$2.29 €1.98

20.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.81

$1.74 €1.50

20.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.63

$1.86 €1.60

1.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.37

$2.63 €2.27

4.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.66

$1.92 €1.65

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.81

$2.09 €1.81

0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.10

$1.44 €1.24

-11.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.64

$0.84 €0.73

-11.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.90 €5.96

$6.78 €5.85

1.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.97 €5.15

$5.71 €4.93

4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.38 €1.19

-10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.88

$2.22 €1.91

-2.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 €1.49

$2.40 €2.07

-27.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.81 €24.00

$46.78 €40.37

-40.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 €2.83

$4.17 €3.60

-21.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.17

$1.14 €0.98

19.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.16 €14.81

$17.68 €15.26

-2.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.47

$2.32 €2.01

-26.29%

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

$36.3K €31.3K

$35.3K €30.5K

2.59%

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

$30.6K €26.4K

$41.4K €35.8K

-26.16%

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

$143 €124

$170 €147

-15.76%

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

$19.22 €16.59

$19.34 €16.69

-0.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.27 €26.98

$33.64 €29.03

-7.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.46 €36.64

$48.10 €41.50

-11.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 €14.89

$19.90 €17.17

-13.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 €8.48

$9.92 €8.56

-0.91%

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

$731 €631

$717 €619

1.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,576 €8,263

$17.5K €15.1K

-45.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 €74.5

$105 €90.4

-17.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.19 €31.23

$46.95 €40.51

-22.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 €85.6

$103 €89.2

-4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 €94.3

$124 €107

-11.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €898

$1,677 €1,447

-37.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 €732

$1,271 €1,097

-33.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 €1,499

$2,985 €2,575

-41.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,393

$1,992 €1,719

-18.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,390 €3,788

$7,826 €6,753

-43.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,096 €1,809

$4,658 €4,019

-54.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,940 €1,674

$1,583 €1,366

22.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

3.79

-21.11%

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

Last update for Alicante: August 29, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,040 in Alicante and $1,677 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Alicante vs $63.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $283 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

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

Alicante vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alicante the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Alicante, 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: $1,040 in Alicante versus $1,677 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $731 in Alicante versus $717 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,857 in Alicante versus $2,316 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,857 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alicante 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 Alicante gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.