Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,281 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,281 per month in Cartago vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cartago $1,281
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $1,972 per month in Cartago vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cartago $1,972
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $2,663 per month in Cartago vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cartago $2,663
Lisbon $4,319

Cartago is about 42% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cartago sits 5% below the global median, while Lisbon is 65% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 COP 24.0K

$16.50 €14.67

-54.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 COP 118.0K

$61.3 €54.5

-39.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$11.27 €10.03

-24.84%

Cappuccino

$1.54 COP 4,868

$3.06 €2.72

-49.67%

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

$1.28 COP 4,050

$2.26 €2.01

-43.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 COP 2,626

$1.73 €1.54

-52.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 COP 9,838

$3.39 €3.02

-8.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 COP 11.6K

$3.40 €3.02

7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 COP 5,072

$1.12 €1.00

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 COP 5,954

$1.86 €1.65

1.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,737

$1.53 €1.36

-2.61%

Eggs

$2.93 COP 9,305

$3.96 €3.53

-26.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 COP 20.9K

$12.76 €11.35

-48.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 COP 22.5K

$7.90 €7.02

-10.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 COP 31.5K

$16.97 €15.09

-41.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 COP 11.3K

$2.27 €2.02

57.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,187

$1.75 €1.55

-24.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,513

$1.85 €1.64

-5.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,168

$2.57 €2.28

-36.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,508

$1.86 €1.65

-23.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,743

$2.02 €1.80

-25.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 COP 3,432

$1.44 €1.28

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 COP 3,250

$0.82 €0.73

25.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 COP 11.7K

$6.56 €5.83

-43.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 COP 41.6K

$5.62 €5.00

133.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,741

$1.28 €1.14

17.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 COP 7,770

$2.07 €1.84

18.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 COP 3,234

$2.35 €2.09

-56.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 COP 2,516

$3.99 €3.55

-80.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,207

$1.09 €0.97

108.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 COP 26.6K

$16.64 €14.81

-49.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,198

$2.28 €2.03

-42.11%

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

$28.0K COP 88.9M

$33.7K €30.0K

-16.77%

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

$34.6K COP 109.9M

$39.3K €35.0K

-11.82%

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

$110 COP 348.3K

$167 €149

-34.42%

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

$13.23 COP 42.0K

$18.80 €16.72

-29.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 COP 95.9K

$33.09 €29.43

-8.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 COP 134.2K

$46.01 €40.93

-8.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.1K

$9.84 €8.75

-16.26%

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

$701 COP 2.2M

$677 €602

3.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,430 COP 20.4M

$16.9K €15.1K

-62.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 COP 246.6K

$101 €90.1

-23.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 COP 174.8K

$45.76 €40.70

20.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 COP 401.8K

$100.0 €88.9

26.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 COP 350.6K

$123 €109

-9.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 COP 2.0M

$1,614 €1,436

-60.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 COP 1.6M

$1,197 €1,065

-57.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 COP 3.3M

$2,862 €2,545

-63.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 COP 3.1M

$1,990 €1,770

-51.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 COP 6.3M

$7,577 €6,740

-73.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,803 COP 5.7M

$4,307 €3,831

-58.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

3.85

200.78%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$509 39.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 135% $688

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$241 18.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 11.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$167 13%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$153 12%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 43.1% $66

Eating Out

Cartago

$136 10.6%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 78.5% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$59 4.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 11.7% $6.9

Getting Around

Cartago

$16 * 1.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 288% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Cartago 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Cartago versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $269 – making Cartago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartago

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

6 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,365

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartago Lisbon 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
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

Cartago vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,921 per month in Cartago 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 Cartago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,281 in Cartago and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 74%.

Kindergarten costs $701 per month in Cartago and $677 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cartago, where all-in costs run around $1,281, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Cartago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cartago – 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 Cartago. 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.