Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ambato and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambato: $605 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Ambato
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Ambato Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ambato

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$605

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $605 per month in Ambato vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ambato $605
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $985 per month in Ambato vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ambato $985
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $1,364 per month in Ambato vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ambato $1,364
Lisbon $4,319

Ambato is about 73% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ambato sits 55% below the global median, while Lisbon is 65% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 $3.46

$16.50 €14.67

-79.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.93 $29.93

$61.3 €54.5

-51.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 $5.32

$11.27 €10.03

-52.80%

Cappuccino

$2.76 $2.76

$3.06 €2.72

-9.80%

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

$0.82 $0.82

$2.26 €2.01

-63.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.73 €1.54

-56.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.39 €3.02

-42.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.40 €3.02

-5.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.12 €1.00

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.86 €1.65

-47.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.53 €1.36

2.61%

Eggs

$1.73 $1.73

$3.96 €3.53

-56.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$12.76 €11.35

-57.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$7.90 €7.02

-61.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$16.97 €15.09

-76.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.27 €2.02

-44.05%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.75 €1.55

-49.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.85 €1.64

-44.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.57 €2.28

-59.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.86 €1.65

-58.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.02 €1.80

-50.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.44 €1.28

-49.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.82 €0.73

25.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 $5.15

$6.56 €5.83

-21.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 $8.78

$5.62 €5.00

56.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.28 €1.14

13.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.07 €1.84

35.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$2.35 €2.09

-87.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.21 $14.21

$44.18 €39.30

-67.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$3.99 €3.55

-65.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.09 €0.97

2.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.43 $9.43

$16.64 €14.81

-43.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.28 €2.03

-62.28%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

-30.71%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$39.3K €35.0K

-28.37%

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

$39.20 $39.20

$167 €149

-76.60%

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

$13.58 $13.58

$18.80 €16.72

-27.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 $26.39

$33.09 €29.43

-20.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 $29.76

$46.01 €40.93

-35.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 $4.39

$9.84 €8.75

-55.39%

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

$224 $224

$677 €602

-66.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,408 $2,408

$16.9K €15.1K

-85.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.25 $48.25

$101 €90.1

-52.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.22 $35.22

$45.76 €40.70

-23.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 $71.2

$100.0 €88.9

-28.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 $55.5

$123 €109

-54.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$178 $178

$1,614 €1,436

-88.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$124 $124

$1,197 €1,065

-89.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 $380

$2,862 €2,545

-86.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 $273

$1,990 €1,770

-86.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,130 $1,130

$7,577 €6,740

-85.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$884 $884

$4,307 €3,831

-79.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$679 $679

$1,588 €1,412

-57.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

133.77%

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

Last update for Ambato: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ambato

$147 24.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 83.3% $122

Accommodation & Living

Ambato

$124 20.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 863% $1.1K

Eating Out

Ambato

$99 16.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 144% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Ambato

$95 15.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 76% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ambato

$79 13.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 177% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Ambato

$39 6.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 70.4% $27

Getting Around

Ambato

$22 3.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 182% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $178 in Ambato versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 134% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Ambato versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $269 – making Ambato the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ambato

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

05:26 5:26 AM

6 h ahead of Ambato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,185

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ambato Lisbon 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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

Ambato vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 267% more than Ambato, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $908 per month in Ambato and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ambato, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Ambato and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $605 in Ambato and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 267%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ambato, where all-in costs run around $605, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Ambato it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ambato costs $605 versus $2,223 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ambato. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.