Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benalmadena and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Benalmadena: $1,832 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Benalmadena
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Benalmadena Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Benalmadena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,832

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,832 per month in Benalmadena vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Benalmadena $1,832
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $2,761 per month in Benalmadena vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Benalmadena $2,761
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $3,690 per month in Benalmadena vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Benalmadena $3,690
Lisbon $4,319

Benalmadena is about 18% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Benalmadena and Lisbon sit above the global median – Benalmadena by 36%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.75 €13.12

$16.50 €14.67

-10.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.5

$61.3 €54.5

11.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 €8.33

$11.27 €10.03

-16.95%

Cappuccino

$2.18 €1.94

$3.06 €2.72

-28.76%

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

$2.10 €1.87

$2.26 €2.01

-7.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.73 €1.54

20.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.92

$3.39 €3.02

-3.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$3.40 €3.02

30.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.12 €1.00

5.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.86 €1.65

-12.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.53 €1.36

17.65%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.10

$3.96 €3.53

-11.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.49 €13.78

$12.76 €11.35

21.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.27 €7.36

$7.90 €7.02

4.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.01 €14.24

$16.97 €15.09

-5.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.27 €2.02

9.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.75 €1.55

10.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.85 €1.64

-4.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.57 €2.28

0.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.86 €1.65

-0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.02 €1.80

3.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.44 €1.28

3.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.82 €0.73

-7.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 €5.94

$6.56 €5.83

1.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.91

$5.62 €5.00

18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.28 €1.14

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.07 €1.84

-7.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.35 €2.09

-19.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.58 €28.09

$44.18 €39.30

-28.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.99 €3.55

-53.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.09 €0.97

11.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.97 €19.54

$16.64 €14.81

32.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.28 €2.03

-21.49%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

2.79%

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

$29.5K €26.2K

$39.3K €35.0K

-24.90%

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

$140 €124

$167 €149

-16.65%

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

$12.81 €11.39

$18.80 €16.72

-31.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.18 €28.63

$33.09 €29.43

-2.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.00 €42.69

$46.01 €40.93

4.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 €14.32

$19.19 €17.07

-16.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 €7.04

$9.84 €8.75

-19.61%

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

$557 €496

$677 €602

-17.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,462 €8,417

$16.9K €15.1K

-44.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 €79.0

$101 €90.1

-12.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 €34.69

$45.76 €40.70

-14.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 €85.0

$100.0 €88.9

-4.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €98.8

$123 €109

-9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$972 €864

$1,614 €1,436

-39.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$1,197 €1,065

-25.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 €1,506

$2,862 €2,545

-40.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 €1,322

$1,990 €1,770

-25.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 €3,699

$7,577 €6,740

-45.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,495 €3,109

$4,307 €3,831

-18.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,931 €3,497

$1,588 €1,412

147.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

3.85

-14.55%

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

Last update for Benalmadena: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benalmadena

$895 48.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 33.7% $302

Groceries & Markets

Benalmadena

$277 15.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 2.7% $7.5

Eating Out

Benalmadena

$214 11.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 13% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benalmadena

$185 10.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 18.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Benalmadena

$150 8.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 10.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Benalmadena

$64 3.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 2.9% $1.9

Getting Around

Benalmadena

$47 2.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 33.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $972 in Benalmadena 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 148% higher in Benalmadena, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Benalmadena versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Benalmadena

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

02:37 2:37 AM

1 h behind Benalmadena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,801

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Benalmadena vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,748 per month in Benalmadena 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 Benalmadena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Benalmadena and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Benalmadena, where all-in costs run around $1,832, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Benalmadena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Benalmadena – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Benalmadena. 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.