Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in El Paso: $1,648 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in El Paso
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El Paso Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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El Paso

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,648

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,648 in El Paso versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

El Paso $1,648
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,456 in El Paso versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

El Paso $2,456
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,265 in El Paso versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

El Paso $3,265
Lisbon $4,346

Living in El Paso costs roughly 25% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Paso 22% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.45 €14.63

$17.04 €15.15

-3.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 €48.85

$62.3 €55.4

-11.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 €8.49

$11.02 €9.80

-13.34%

Cappuccino

$2.34 €2.08

$3.12 €2.78

-25.00%

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

$2.64 €2.35

$2.27 €2.02

16.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.74 €1.55

11.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.42 €3.04

-16.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 €3.96

$3.74 €3.33

19.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.17 €1.04

-0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.86 €1.66

-18.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.54 €1.37

1.95%

Eggs

$3.25 €2.89

$4.06 €3.61

-19.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.30 €11.83

$12.91 €11.49

3.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.13 €6.34

$7.90 €7.03

-9.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 €13.16

$17.64 €15.69

-16.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.26 €2.01

9.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.75 €1.55

21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.89 €1.68

15.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.56 €2.27

-2.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.85 €1.64

0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.97 €1.75

-0.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.45 €1.29

-9.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$0.77 €0.69

-10.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.18 €6.38

$6.71 €5.97

7.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 €5.51

$5.67 €5.04

9.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.37 €1.22

-10.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.11 €1.88

-6.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.32 €2.07

-28.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.06 €28.52

$44.43 €39.52

-27.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 €3.47

$3.95 €3.51

-1.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.05 €0.93

47.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.38 €21.69

$17.15 €15.26

42.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.19 €1.95

-19.63%

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

$39.3K €34.9K

$33.8K €30.0K

16.22%

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

$34.7K €30.8K

$38.3K €34.0K

-9.37%

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

$161 €144

$164 €146

-1.50%

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

$17.82 €15.85

$18.48 €16.43

-3.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.99 €23.12

$32.96 €29.32

-21.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 €35.28

$45.87 €40.80

-13.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 €15.28

$18.68 €16.61

-8.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.25 €8.23

$9.75 €8.67

-5.13%

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

$441 €392

$684 €608

-35.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,218 €7,310

$17.6K €15.7K

-53.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 €78.2

$104 €92.3

-15.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.81 €33.63

$46.20 €41.09

-18.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 €86.3

$99.7 €88.7

-2.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$125 €111

2.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$888 €790

$1,589 €1,414

-44.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €613

$1,169 €1,040

-41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,109

$2,851 €2,536

-56.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €977

$1,993 €1,773

-44.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 €2,811

$7,793 €6,932

-59.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,333 €2,075

$4,418 €3,930

-47.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.85

-14.29%

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

Last update for El Paso: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Paso

$689 41.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 69.8% $480

Groceries & Markets

El Paso

$258 15.6%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 5.9% $15

Eating Out

El Paso

$230 14%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 7.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso

$205 12.5%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 4.9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso

$158 9.6%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 6.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso

$58 3.5%

Lisbon

$65 3% 12.4% $7.2

Getting Around

El Paso

$50 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 25.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $888 in El Paso and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in El Paso vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $273 per month, with El Paso cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Paso

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

Same time as El Paso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

700

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Paso Lisbon 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

El Paso
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 Paso vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Paso and Lisbon differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,648 vs $2,202 including rent). El Paso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,472 in El Paso and $3,302 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: $888 in El Paso versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in El Paso – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,648 per month in El Paso versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,648 in El Paso versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in El Paso but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes El Paso 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, El Paso 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 El Paso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.