Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrecife and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Arrecife: $1,549 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Arrecife
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Arrecife Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Arrecife

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,549

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,549 in Arrecife versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Arrecife $1,549
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,279 in Arrecife versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Arrecife $2,279
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,009 in Arrecife versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Arrecife $3,009
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Arrecife costs roughly 30% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arrecife 14% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.07 €9.91

$16.65 €14.91

-33.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.64 €40.87

$61.7 €55.3

-26.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 €8.27

$11.36 €10.17

-18.75%

Cappuccino

$2.51 €2.24

$2.97 €2.66

-15.49%

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

$2.18 €1.95

$2.29 €2.05

-4.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.74 €1.56

-4.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 €2.82

$3.40 €3.05

-7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.20

$3.31 €2.96

8.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.16 €1.04

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.91 €1.71

-21.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.51 €1.35

-14.57%

Eggs

$3.57 €3.20

$4.02 €3.60

-11.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 €11.00

$12.94 €11.59

-5.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.07 €6.34

$7.77 €6.96

-9.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 €12.40

$17.76 €15.91

-22.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.30 €2.06

14.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.26

$1.73 €1.55

45.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.86 €1.66

22.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.59 €2.32

-0.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.82 €1.63

0.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$1.97 €1.76

22.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.47 €1.32

21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.72 €0.65

15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 €3.93

$6.58 €5.90

-33.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.68 €5.99

$5.61 €5.02

19.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.36 €1.22

18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.14 €1.91

26.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.87 €1.68

$2.33 €2.09

-19.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.75 €29.33

$44.68 €40.01

-26.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.04

$3.85 €3.45

-11.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.07 €0.96

115.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.58 €20.22

$16.46 €14.74

37.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$2.20 €1.97

-27.73%

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

$30.3K €27.2K

$34.2K €30.6K

-11.27%

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

$32.2K €28.8K

$38.7K €34.7K

-16.91%

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

$114 €102

$161 €144

-29.26%

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

$19.30 €17.28

$18.41 €16.49

4.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.47 €25.50

$32.74 €29.32

-13.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.63 €39.97

$44.55 €39.90

0.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.64 €14.01

$19.10 €17.10

-18.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.07 €7.22

$9.60 €8.60

-15.94%

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

$467 €418

$668 €598

-30.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,521 €5,840

$17.6K €15.8K

-62.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.6

$102 €91.4

-15.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.05 €30.50

$44.46 €39.82

-23.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 €80.3

$98.5 €88.2

-8.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 €758

$1,608 €1,440

-47.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €602

$1,190 €1,066

-43.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,260

$2,812 €2,519

-49.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 €916

$2,013 €1,803

-49.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,328 €2,981

$7,839 €7,021

-57.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,237 €2,003

$4,576 €4,098

-51.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,683 €1,508

$1,575 €1,411

6.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

3.85

-18.18%

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

Last update for Arrecife: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arrecife

$673 43.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 76.9% $517

Groceries & Markets

Arrecife

$264 17%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 3.3% $8.6

Eating Out

Arrecife

$185 11.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 31.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arrecife

$162 10.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 31.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Arrecife

$150 9.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 10.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Arrecife

$61 3.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 4.9% $3

Getting Around

Arrecife

$55 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 14.6% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $846 in Arrecife and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arrecife pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Arrecife vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $272 per month, with Arrecife cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Arrecife

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

Same time as Arrecife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,826

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Arrecife Lisbon 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Arrecife
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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

Arrecife vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,549 in Arrecife and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Arrecife is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Arrecife, 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: $846 in Arrecife versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Arrecife – a meal for two runs $46 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,549 per month in Arrecife versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Arrecife is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,549 in Arrecife versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arrecife but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Arrecife 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.

Safety-wise, Arrecife and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Arrecife gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.