Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elche and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Elche: $1,483 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Elche
Learn more

Elche Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Elche

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,483

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,483 in Elche versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Elche $1,483
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,201 in Elche versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Elche $2,201
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,918 in Elche versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Elche $2,918
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Elche costs roughly 33% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Elche 9% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$61.7 €55.3

-9.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 €10.01

$11.36 €10.18

-1.67%

Cappuccino

$2.49 €2.23

$2.97 €2.66

-16.16%

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

$2.41 €2.16

$2.29 €2.05

5.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.74 €1.56

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 €2.91

$3.40 €3.05

-4.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.95

$3.31 €2.97

-0.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.16 €1.04

-4.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.91 €1.71

-15.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.51 €1.36

2.65%

Eggs

$3.03 €2.72

$4.02 €3.60

-24.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.81

$12.94 €11.59

10.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.09

$7.77 €6.97

1.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 €12.13

$17.76 €15.92

-23.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.30 €2.06

10.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.73 €1.55

11.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.86 €1.66

2.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.59 €2.32

-6.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.82 €1.63

-4.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.97 €1.76

-3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 €0.93

$1.47 €1.32

-29.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$0.72 €0.65

-2.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.47 €5.80

$6.58 €5.90

-1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.12

$5.61 €5.02

1.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.36 €1.22

-22.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.14 €1.91

-51.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.33 €2.09

-39.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.72 €20.36

$44.68 €40.04

-49.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 €2.77

$3.85 €3.45

-19.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.07 €0.96

-18.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.91 €15.15

$16.46 €14.75

2.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.58

$2.20 €1.97

-20.00%

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

$31.4K €28.1K

$34.2K €30.6K

-8.17%

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

$31.8K €28.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

-17.81%

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

$138 €123

$161 €144

-14.60%

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

$17.13 €15.35

$18.41 €16.50

-6.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.35 €23.61

$32.74 €29.34

-19.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.31 €40.60

$44.55 €39.92

1.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.11 €9.96

$19.10 €17.11

-41.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 €6.56

$9.60 €8.60

-23.65%

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

$692 €620

$668 €598

3.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,979 €8,942

$17.6K €15.8K

-43.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 €74.7

$102 €91.4

-18.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 €31.75

$44.46 €39.85

-20.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 €76.9

$98.5 €88.3

-12.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 €77.9

$124 €111

-29.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$665 €596

$1,608 €1,441

-58.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 €524

$1,190 €1,066

-50.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 €867

$2,812 €2,520

-65.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 €771

$2,013 €1,804

-57.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,033 €1,821

$7,839 €7,025

-74.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 €1,327

$4,576 €4,100

-67.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,599 €1,433

$1,575 €1,411

1.55%

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 Elche: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elche

$585 39.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 103% $605

Groceries & Markets

Elche

$253 17.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 7.6% $19

Eating Out

Elche

$237 16%

Lisbon

$243 11% 2.5% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elche

$181 12.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 17.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Elche

$131 8.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 26.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Elche

$60 4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 6.3% $3.8

Getting Around

Elche

$36 2.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 76.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $665 in Elche and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Elche vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $272 per month, with Elche cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Elche

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

03:05 3:05 AM

1 h behind Elche

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

238,293

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

Elche Lisbon 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Elche
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

Elche vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elche wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Elche the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,224 in Elche and $3,315 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: $665 in Elche versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Elche – a meal for two runs $56 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,483 per month in Elche versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Elche is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Elche is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Elche gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.