Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena, Spain and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,425 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Cartagena versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Cartagena $1,425
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,101 in Cartagena versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Cartagena $2,101
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,778 in Cartagena versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Cartagena $2,778
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Cartagena costs roughly 36% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartagena 5% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.40

$16.65 €14.91

-16.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$61.7 €55.3

-9.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 €7.12

$11.36 €10.17

-30.02%

Cappuccino

$2.47 €2.21

$2.97 €2.66

-16.84%

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

$2.56 €2.30

$2.29 €2.05

11.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.74 €1.56

4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$3.40 €3.05

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.46

$3.31 €2.96

16.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.16 €1.04

5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.91 €1.71

-37.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.51 €1.35

74.17%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$4.02 €3.60

-1.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 €11.48

$12.94 €11.59

-0.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 €6.01

$7.77 €6.96

-13.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.79

$17.76 €15.91

5.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.30 €2.06

3.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.73 €1.55

41.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.86 €1.66

-15.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.87

$2.59 €2.32

23.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.82 €1.63

-29.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.97 €1.76

-36.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.47 €1.32

4.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.72 €0.65

-4.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.11

$6.58 €5.90

-13.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 €5.64

$5.61 €5.02

12.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.36 €1.22

-11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.14 €1.91

-45.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.33 €2.09

-36.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.08 €9.93

$44.68 €40.01

-75.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 €5.06

$3.85 €3.45

46.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.07 €0.96

108.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.72 €24.83

$16.46 €14.74

68.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$2.20 €1.97

-19.55%

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

$34.6K €30.9K

$34.2K €30.6K

1.07%

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

$29.9K €26.7K

$38.7K €34.7K

-22.90%

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

$211 €189

$161 €144

30.93%

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

$19.43 €17.40

$18.41 €16.49

5.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 €26.21

$32.74 €29.32

-10.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 €36.92

$44.55 €39.90

-7.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 €11.47

$19.10 €17.10

-32.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 €6.91

$9.60 €8.60

-19.58%

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

$406 €364

$668 €598

-39.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,651 €2,374

$17.6K €15.8K

-84.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.46 €41.61

$102 €91.4

-54.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 €31.24

$44.46 €39.82

-21.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 €54.2

$98.5 €88.2

-38.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.5

$124 €111

-18.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 €534

$1,608 €1,440

-62.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 €439

$1,190 €1,066

-58.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 €781

$2,812 €2,519

-68.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 €644

$2,013 €1,803

-64.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,737 €1,556

$7,839 €7,021

-77.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,427 €1,278

$4,576 €4,098

-68.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 €1,526

$1,575 €1,411

8.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.85

5.45%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$490 34.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 143% $700

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$269 18.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 1.2% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$260 18.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 18.3% $47

Eating Out

Cartagena

$207 14.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 17.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$109 7.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 51.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 12.5% $7.1

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 87.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $596 in Cartagena and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56 in Cartagena vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $272 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

1 h behind Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

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

Cartagena Lisbon 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
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

Cartagena vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Cartagena, 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: $596 in Cartagena versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $406 in Cartagena versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $56 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cartagena is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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