Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuenca and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuenca: $989 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
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Cuenca Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cuenca

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$989

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $989 per month in Cuenca vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cuenca $989
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $1,482 per month in Cuenca vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cuenca $1,482
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $1,976 per month in Cuenca vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cuenca $1,976
Lisbon $4,319

Cuenca is about 56% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cuenca sits 27% below the global median, while Lisbon is 65% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 $3.59

$16.50 €14.67

-78.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.50 $29.50

$61.3 €54.5

-51.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.79 $7.79

$11.27 €10.03

-30.88%

Cappuccino

$2.65 $2.65

$3.06 €2.72

-13.40%

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

$0.83 $0.83

$2.26 €2.01

-63.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.73 €1.54

-58.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.39 €3.02

-39.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.40 €3.02

-6.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.12 €1.00

-9.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.86 €1.65

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.53 €1.36

22.22%

Eggs

$2.27 $2.27

$3.96 €3.53

-42.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$12.76 €11.35

-44.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$7.90 €7.02

-25.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 $7.47

$16.97 €15.09

-55.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.27 €2.02

-10.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.75 €1.55

-37.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.85 €1.64

-26.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.57 €2.28

-45.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.86 €1.65

-17.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.02 €1.80

-46.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.44 €1.28

-47.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.82 €0.73

37.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 $5.29

$6.56 €5.83

-19.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$5.62 €5.00

79.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.28 €1.14

17.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.07 €1.84

44.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$2.35 €2.09

-84.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.94 $15.94

$44.18 €39.30

-63.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 $1.36

$3.99 €3.55

-65.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.09 €0.97

-1.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.83 $10.83

$16.64 €14.81

-34.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.28 €2.03

-61.84%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

-27.23%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

-24.56%

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

$39.83 $39.83

$167 €149

-76.22%

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

$13.33 $13.33

$18.80 €16.72

-29.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 $26.61

$33.09 €29.43

-19.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.02 $30.02

$46.01 €40.93

-34.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.18 $5.18

$19.19 €17.07

-73.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 $7.22

$9.84 €8.75

-26.63%

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

$227 $227

$677 €602

-66.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,764 $6,764

$16.9K €15.1K

-60.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 $67.8

$101 €90.1

-33.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.84 $46.84

$45.76 €40.70

2.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$100.0 €88.9

25.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.5 $71.5

$123 €109

-41.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 $529

$1,614 €1,436

-67.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 $386

$1,197 €1,065

-67.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 $709

$2,862 €2,545

-75.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 $608

$1,990 €1,770

-69.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,221 $1,221

$7,577 €6,740

-83.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$857 $857

$4,307 €3,831

-80.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$561 $561

$1,588 €1,412

-64.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.16

3.85

189.87%

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

Last update for Cuenca: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuenca

$386 39.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 210% $811

Groceries & Markets

Cuenca

$208 21%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 29.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Cuenca

$140 14.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 18.8% $26

Eating Out

Cuenca

$107 10.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 127% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuenca

$80 8.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 175% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Cuenca

$44 4.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 47.8% $21

Getting Around

Cuenca

$24 2.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 161% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $529 in Cuenca 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.

Salaries run about 183% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Cuenca versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $269 – making Cuenca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Cuenca

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

17:42 5:42 PM

6 h ahead of Cuenca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,776

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cuenca Lisbon 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuenca
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

Cuenca vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 125%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,483 per month in Cuenca 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 Cuenca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Cuenca and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $989 in Cuenca and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 125%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cuenca, where all-in costs run around $989, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Cuenca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cuenca – 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 Cuenca. 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.