Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotacachi and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotacachi: $717 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cotacachi
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Cotacachi Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cotacachi

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$717

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $717 in Cotacachi versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Cotacachi $717
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Cotacachi versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Cotacachi $1,170
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,623 in Cotacachi versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Cotacachi $1,623
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Cotacachi costs roughly 68% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cotacachi is 47% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 $3.88

$16.65 €14.91

-76.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.87 $25.87

$61.7 €55.3

-58.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 $4.58

$11.36 €10.17

-59.68%

Cappuccino

$2.21 $2.21

$2.97 €2.66

-25.59%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$2.29 €2.05

-40.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.74 €1.56

-54.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.40 €3.05

-42.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.31 €2.96

21.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.16 €1.04

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.91 €1.71

-19.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.51 €1.35

0.66%

Eggs

$2.11 $2.11

$4.02 €3.60

-47.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$12.94 €11.59

-50.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$7.77 €6.96

-32.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 $7.46

$17.76 €15.91

-58.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.30 €2.06

-3.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.73 €1.55

-34.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.86 €1.66

-29.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.59 €2.32

-57.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.82 €1.63

-31.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.97 €1.76

-46.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.47 €1.32

-43.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.72 €0.65

43.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 $4.46

$6.58 €5.90

-32.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$5.61 €5.02

31.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.36 €1.22

11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.14 €1.91

42.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 $0.45

$2.33 €2.09

-80.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.03 $15.03

$44.68 €40.01

-66.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 $1.24

$3.85 €3.45

-67.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.07 €0.96

-9.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.89 $9.89

$16.46 €14.74

-39.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.20 €1.97

-65.00%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$34.2K €30.6K

-33.66%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$38.7K €34.7K

-22.83%

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

$29.09 $29.09

$161 €144

-81.96%

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

$12.57 $12.57

$18.41 €16.49

-31.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.27 $26.27

$32.74 €29.32

-19.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.56 $30.56

$44.55 €39.90

-31.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.16 $10.16

$19.10 €17.10

-46.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.52 $6.52

$9.60 €8.60

-32.08%

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

$76.0 $76.0

$668 €598

-88.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,952 $2,952

$17.6K €15.8K

-83.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.41 $41.41

$102 €91.4

-59.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.47 $42.47

$44.46 €39.82

-4.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 $95.1

$98.5 €88.2

-3.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 $59.2

$124 €111

-52.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 $264

$1,608 €1,440

-83.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 $190

$1,190 €1,066

-84.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 $473

$2,812 €2,519

-83.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 $414

$2,013 €1,803

-79.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$598 $598

$7,839 €7,021

-92.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$517 $517

$4,576 €4,098

-88.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 $433

$1,575 €1,411

-72.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

3.85

162.86%

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

Last update for Cotacachi: 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

Cotacachi

$190 26.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 527% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Cotacachi

$187 26.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 45.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Cotacachi

$107 15%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 54.8% $59

Eating Out

Cotacachi

$98 13.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 148% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotacachi

$68 9.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 213% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Cotacachi

$44 6.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 46.2% $20

Getting Around

Cotacachi

$23 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 176% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $264 in Cotacachi and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Cotacachi vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $272 per month, with Cotacachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Cotacachi

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

04:02 4:02 AM

5 h ahead of Cotacachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,238

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cotacachi Lisbon 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotacachi
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

Cotacachi vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $717 in Cotacachi and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Cotacachi is about 68% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Cotacachi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $264 in Cotacachi versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cotacachi runs roughly 66% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $76 in Cotacachi versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $717 in Cotacachi versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cotacachi but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cotacachi 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.

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

Expats usually find Cotacachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.