Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atenas and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Atenas: $1,548 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Atenas vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Atenas $1,548
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $2,527 per month in Atenas vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Atenas $2,527
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $3,506 per month in Atenas vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Atenas $3,506
Lisbon $4,341

Atenas is about 30% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Atenas and Lisbon sit above the global median – Atenas by 14%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.66 ₡4,361

$16.65 €14.92

-41.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 ₡25.4K

$61.7 €55.3

-8.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 ₡5,321

$11.36 €10.18

3.79%

Cappuccino

$3.83 ₡1,727

$2.97 €2.66

28.96%

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

$2.77 ₡1,249

$2.29 €2.05

20.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡875

$1.74 €1.56

11.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,525

$3.40 €3.05

-0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 ₡2,005

$3.31 €2.97

34.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.16 €1.04

106.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,384

$1.91 €1.71

60.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,016

$1.51 €1.36

49.01%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,571

$4.02 €3.60

-13.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,847

$12.94 €11.59

-17.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 ₡4,310

$7.77 €6.97

22.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 ₡4,701

$17.76 €15.92

-41.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 ₡2,039

$2.30 €2.06

96.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.73 €1.55

-6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 ₡1,197

$1.86 €1.66

42.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 ₡1,107

$2.59 €2.32

-5.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,719

$1.82 €1.63

109.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ₡1,173

$1.97 €1.76

31.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.47 €1.32

-23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₡1,405

$0.72 €0.65

331.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 ₡2,726

$6.58 €5.90

-8.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 ₡8,497

$5.61 €5.02

235.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.36 €1.22

93.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,204

$2.14 €1.91

24.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 ₡998

$2.33 €2.09

-5.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,126

$3.85 €3.45

-35.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡709

$1.07 €0.96

46.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 ₡3,917

$16.46 €14.75

-47.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡677

$2.20 €1.97

-31.82%

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

$33.7K ₡15.2M

$34.2K €30.6K

-1.30%

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

$42.1K ₡19.0M

$38.7K €34.7K

8.62%

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

$94.0 ₡42.4K

$161 €144

-41.73%

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

$35.77 ₡16.1K

$18.41 €16.50

94.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 ₡23.6K

$32.74 €29.34

59.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.83 ₡21.6K

$44.55 €39.92

7.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 ₡4,995

$19.10 €17.11

-42.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ₡3,407

$9.60 €8.60

-21.35%

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

$975 ₡440.3K

$668 €598

46.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,667 ₡3.0M

$17.6K €15.8K

-62.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.5K

$102 €91.4

-29.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 ₡24.5K

$44.46 €39.85

22.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡57.1K

$98.5 €88.3

28.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.8K

$124 €111

5.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₡300.6K

$1,608 €1,441

-58.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 ₡248.2K

$1,190 €1,066

-53.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 ₡693.8K

$2,812 €2,520

-45.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 ₡561.7K

$2,013 €1,804

-38.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,330 ₡600.6K

$1,575 €1,411

-15.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.85

123.90%

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

Last update for Atenas: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atenas

$550 35.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 116% $640

Groceries & Markets

Atenas

$358 23.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 24% $86

Eating Out

Atenas

$203 13.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 19.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atenas

$182 11.8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 16.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Atenas

$172 11.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 3.7% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Atenas

$63 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 1.3% $0.8

Getting Around

Atenas

$19 * 1.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 229% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $666 in Atenas versus $1,608 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 18% 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 $56 in Atenas versus $62 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $358 in Atenas vs $272 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Atenas

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

05:26 5:26 AM

6 h ahead of Atenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Atenas Lisbon 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Atenas
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

Atenas vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Atenas and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $666 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Atenas and $62 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,548 in Atenas and $2,210 in Lisbon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,548 in Atenas to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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