Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Alicante: $1,814 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,814

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,814 in Alicante versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Alicante $1,814
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,801 in Alicante versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Alicante $2,801
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Alicante versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Alicante $3,788
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Alicante costs roughly 18% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alicante 34% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.14 €17.03

$16.50 €14.67

16.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$61.3 €54.5

7.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.00

$11.27 €10.03

-0.27%

Cappuccino

$2.21 €1.97

$3.06 €2.72

-27.78%

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

$2.06 €1.83

$2.26 €2.01

-8.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.73 €1.54

-24.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.39 €3.02

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.40 €3.02

-2.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.12 €1.00

-0.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.86 €1.65

-11.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.53 €1.36

5.23%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.90

$3.96 €3.53

-17.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 €15.45

$12.76 €11.35

36.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 €8.71

$7.90 €7.02

23.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.11

$16.97 €15.09

-6.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.27 €2.02

13.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.75 €1.55

18.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.85 €1.64

-3.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.57 €2.28

2.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.86 €1.65

2.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.02 €1.80

-0.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.44 €1.28

-14.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.58

$0.82 €0.73

-19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 €5.75

$6.56 €5.83

-1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$5.62 €5.00

-3.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.28 €1.14

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.07 €1.84

-0.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.35 €2.09

-29.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.30 €23.39

$44.18 €39.30

-40.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 €2.76

$3.99 €3.55

-22.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.09 €0.97

19.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 €15.09

$16.64 €14.81

1.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.28 €2.03

-22.81%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

5.82%

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

$29.1K €25.9K

$39.3K €35.0K

-25.87%

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

$141 €125

$167 €149

-16.08%

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

$18.27 €16.25

$18.80 €16.72

-2.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.69 €26.41

$33.09 €29.43

-10.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.64 €36.15

$46.01 €40.93

-11.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.59 €14.76

$19.19 €17.07

-13.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.06

$9.84 €8.75

-7.83%

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

$708 €629

$677 €602

4.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,120 €8,113

$16.9K €15.1K

-46.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.1 €76.5

$101 €90.1

-15.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 €31.25

$45.76 €40.70

-23.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €83.3

$100.0 €88.9

-6.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.0

$123 €109

-15.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 €892

$1,614 €1,436

-37.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 €752

$1,197 €1,065

-29.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 €1,499

$2,862 €2,545

-41.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 €1,351

$1,990 €1,770

-23.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,155 €3,696

$7,577 €6,740

-45.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,008 €1,786

$4,307 €3,831

-53.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,900 €1,690

$1,588 €1,412

19.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

3.85

-22.34%

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

Last update for Alicante: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alicante

$846 46.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 41.5% $351

Groceries & Markets

Alicante

$285 15.7%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 5.4% $15

Eating Out

Alicante

$250 13.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 3.2% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alicante

$189 10.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 16.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Alicante

$143 7.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 16.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Alicante

$59 3.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 11.8% $6.9

Getting Around

Alicante

$43 2.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 48.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,003 in Alicante and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Alicante vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alicante

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

22:14 10:14 PM

1 h behind Alicante

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,282

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alicante Lisbon 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alicante
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

Alicante vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 23% 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 20% 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: $1,003 in Alicante versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $708 in Alicante versus $677 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 $1,814 in Alicante versus $2,223 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 $1,814 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 23% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.