Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cento and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cento: $1,638 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cento
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Cento Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,638

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,638 in Cento versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Cento $1,638
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,655 in Cento versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Cento $2,655
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,672 in Cento versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Cento $3,672
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Cento costs roughly 26% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cento 21% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 €17.81

$16.86 €14.98

18.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.2 €80.2

$61.0 €54.2

47.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.86

$10.98 €9.75

21.58%

Cappuccino

$2.27 €2.02

$3.05 €2.71

-25.57%

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

$3.45 €3.06

$2.28 €2.03

51.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.45

$1.68 €1.49

-2.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 €5.41

$3.44 €3.05

77.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$3.91 €3.47

43.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.15 €1.02

24.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.45

$1.89 €1.68

46.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 €2.41

$1.50 €1.33

81.33%

Eggs

$3.87 €3.44

$4.12 €3.66

-6.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.13 €16.10

$13.01 €11.55

39.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.27 €10.90

$8.04 €7.15

52.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.32 €15.39

$17.89 €15.89

-3.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.27 €2.02

-1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.74 €1.55

-2.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.82 €1.62

7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.18

$2.69 €2.39

-8.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.77 €1.57

-23.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.94 €1.72

-27.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.46 €1.30

11.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$0.76 €0.68

-26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.67 €5.92

$6.66 €5.91

0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.91

$5.64 €5.01

37.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.38

$1.29 €1.15

20.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.14 €1.90

-11.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.30 €2.04

-29.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.22 €37.51

$44.02 €39.10

-4.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €3.98

$3.98 €3.54

12.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.64 €0.57

131.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.78 €24.68

$18.93 €16.81

46.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.86

$2.28 €2.02

-7.89%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$33.4K €29.6K

6.43%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$38.5K €34.2K

-1.49%

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

$237 €211

$158 €141

49.81%

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

$11.28 €10.02

$17.54 €15.58

-35.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.99 €24.86

$31.18 €27.70

-10.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 €47.56

$44.64 €39.66

19.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.42 €20.80

$18.98 €16.86

23.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.15 €9.02

$9.58 €8.51

5.95%

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

$425 €377

$674 €598

-36.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,424 €3,930

$18.7K €16.6K

-76.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 €78.4

$102 €90.8

-13.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.51 €38.65

$45.90 €40.77

-5.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 €83.0

$102 €90.8

-8.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €133

$122 €108

23.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 €476

$1,641 €1,457

-67.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 €394

$1,187 €1,055

-62.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 €943

$2,825 €2,509

-62.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 €813

$2,018 €1,793

-54.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,942 €2,613

$7,836 €6,960

-62.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 €1,796

$4,701 €4,176

-57.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,779 €1,580

$1,687 €1,499

5.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.82

-16.49%

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

Last update for Cento: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cento

$444 27.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 168% $744

Groceries & Markets

Cento

$325 19.8%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 15.4% $50

Eating Out

Cento

$290 17.7%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 15.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cento

$276 16.9%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 25.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Cento

$169 10.3%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cento

$74 4.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 13.6% $10

Getting Around

Cento

$61 3.7%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 0.4% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $536 in Cento and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cento pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90 in Cento vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cento

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

23:08 11:08 PM

1 h behind Cento

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,582

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cento Lisbon 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cento
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

Cento vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cento wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cento the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Cento, 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: $536 in Cento versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cento runs roughly 4% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $425 in Cento versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,638 in Cento versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cento but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cento 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.