Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Centro, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,700 in El Centro, CA, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in El Centro, CA
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El Centro, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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El Centro, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,700

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,700 per month in El Centro, CA vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

El Centro, CA $2,700
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $3,848 per month in El Centro, CA vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

El Centro, CA $3,848
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $4,996 per month in El Centro, CA vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

El Centro, CA $4,996
Lisbon $4,341

El Centro, CA costs about 22% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both El Centro, CA and Lisbon sit above the global median – El Centro, CA by 98%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.62 $13.62

$16.65 €14.95

-18.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.97 $44.97

$61.7 €55.5

-27.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.39 $11.39

$11.36 €10.20

0.26%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$2.97 €2.67

64.65%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$2.29 €2.06

10.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.74 €1.56

12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.40 €3.06

44.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$3.31 €2.97

140.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.16 €1.04

White Bread (500g)

$5.88 $5.88

$1.91 €1.72

207.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.51 €1.36

189.40%

Eggs

$4.91 $4.91

$4.02 €3.61

22.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 $12.67

$12.94 €11.62

-2.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.39 $20.39

$7.77 €6.98

162.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 $13.90

$17.76 €15.95

-21.73%

Apples (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$2.30 €2.07

139.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.73 €1.56

-1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.86 €1.67

130.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$2.59 €2.33

159.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.82 €1.64

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.97 €1.77

76.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.47 €1.32

55.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.72 €0.65

220.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.64 $11.64

$6.58 €5.91

76.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$5.61 €5.04

164.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.36 €1.22

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.14 €1.92

52.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.33 €2.10

-3.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.6 $58.6

$44.68 €40.14

31.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.85 €3.46

15.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.07 €0.96

75.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.36 $35.36

$16.46 €14.79

114.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.20 €1.98

-30.45%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$34.2K €30.7K

-19.85%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K €34.8K

-32.91%

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

$216 $216

$161 €145

33.76%

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

$72.1 $72.1

$18.41 €16.54

291.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$32.74 €29.41

115.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.32 $34.32

$44.55 €40.02

-22.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$11.90 $11.90

$9.60 €8.62

23.96%

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

$1,895 $1,895

$668 €600

183.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$17.6K €15.8K

142.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 $72.7

$102 €91.6

-28.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 $40.38

$44.46 €39.94

-9.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 $79.1

$98.5 €88.5

-19.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 $173

$124 €111

39.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 $1,401

$1,608 €1,445

-12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 $1,300

$1,190 €1,069

9.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 $2,246

$2,812 €2,526

-20.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 $2,076

$2,013 €1,808

3.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,709 $2,709

$7,839 €7,042

-65.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,661 $2,661

$4,576 €4,110

-41.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.85

72.47%

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

Last update for El Centro, CA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Centro, CA

$1.3K 48.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 8.5% $110

Groceries & Markets

El Centro, CA

$477 17.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 42.9% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Centro, CA

$358 13.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 40.7% $146

Eating Out

El Centro, CA

$260 9.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 6.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

El Centro, CA

$164 6.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1% $1.6

Getting Around

El Centro, CA

$81 3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 22.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

El Centro, CA

$58 2.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 9.7% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,401 in El Centro, CA versus $1,608 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 $45 in El Centro, CA versus $62 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $477 in El Centro, CA vs $272 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Centro, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

16:16 4:16 PM

7 h ahead of El Centro, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,322

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

El Centro, CA Lisbon 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

El Centro, CA
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

El Centro, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,700 in El Centro, CA, $2,210 in Lisbon – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,049 per month in El Centro, CA and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Centro, CA, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,401 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,895 per month in El Centro, CA and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,700 in El Centro, CA and $2,210 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,210 in Lisbon to $2,700 in El Centro, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.