Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colonia and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Colonia: $1,511 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Colonia
Learn more

Colonia Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Colonia

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,511

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,511 in Colonia versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Colonia $1,511
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,462 in Colonia versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Colonia $2,462
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,413 in Colonia versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Colonia $3,413
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Colonia costs roughly 32% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Colonia 12% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.94 UYU 640

$16.50 €14.67

-3.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 UYU 3,015

$61.3 €54.5

22.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.92 UYU 519

$11.27 €10.03

14.64%

Cappuccino

$5.83 UYU 234

$3.06 €2.72

90.52%

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

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$2.26 €2.01

-18.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 UYU 56.2

$1.73 €1.54

-19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 UYU 196

$3.39 €3.02

43.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 UYU 190

$3.40 €3.02

39.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 UYU 46.11

$1.12 €1.00

2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 UYU 84.7

$1.86 €1.65

13.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.39

$1.53 €1.36

-20.92%

Eggs

$3.51 UYU 141

$3.96 €3.53

-11.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 UYU 400

$12.76 €11.35

-21.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.34 UYU 495

$7.90 €7.02

56.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 UYU 443

$16.97 €15.09

-35.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 UYU 87.3

$2.27 €2.02

-4.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 UYU 76.0

$1.75 €1.55

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 UYU 51.1

$1.85 €1.64

-31.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 UYU 224

$2.57 €2.28

117.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 UYU 81.8

$1.86 €1.65

9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 UYU 79.3

$2.02 €1.80

-1.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 UYU 49.17

$1.44 €1.28

-14.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 UYU 50.2

$0.82 €0.73

52.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.65 UYU 307

$6.56 €5.83

16.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 UYU 506

$5.62 €5.00

124.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.44 UYU 178

$1.28 €1.14

246.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 UYU 101

$2.07 €1.84

21.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 UYU 38.29

$2.35 €2.09

-59.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 UYU 34.47

$3.99 €3.55

-78.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 UYU 101

$1.09 €0.97

132.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 UYU 79.4

$2.28 €2.03

-13.16%

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

$32.0K UYU 1.3M

$33.7K €30.0K

-4.84%

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

$39.2K UYU 1.6M

$39.3K €35.0K

-0.25%

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

$123 UYU 4,923

$167 €149

-26.77%

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

$18.70 UYU 750

$18.80 €16.72

-0.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 UYU 1,555

$33.09 €29.43

17.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.35 UYU 1,660

$46.01 €40.93

-10.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.52 UYU 503

$19.19 €17.07

-34.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 UYU 313

$9.84 €8.75

-20.73%

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

$677 €602

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 UYU 2,274

$101 €90.1

-44.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 UYU 2,027

$45.76 €40.70

10.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 UYU 4,503

$100.0 €88.9

12.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$201 UYU 8,079

$123 €109

63.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 UYU 24.0K

$1,614 €1,436

-62.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 UYU 18.9K

$1,197 €1,065

-60.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 UYU 45.2K

$2,862 €2,545

-60.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 UYU 39.2K

$1,990 €1,770

-50.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

3.85

16.88%

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

Last update for Colonia: 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

Colonia

$470 31.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 155% $727

Groceries & Markets

Colonia

$314 20.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 14.1% $44

Eating Out

Colonia

$283 18.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 14.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Colonia

$189 12.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 12.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colonia

$180 11.9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 21.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Colonia

$57 3.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 15.3% $8.7

Getting Around

Colonia

$17 * 1.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 264% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $597 in Colonia and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in Colonia vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Colonia

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

00:24 12:24 AM

4 h ahead of Colonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,231

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colonia Lisbon 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Colonia
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

Colonia vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colonia wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Colonia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,266 in Colonia and $3,335 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $597 in Colonia versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,511 per month in Colonia versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,511 in Colonia versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colonia but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Colonia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colonia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,511 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colonia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Colonia and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Colonia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.