Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $668 per month in Elmina vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Elmina $668
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in Elmina vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Elmina $1,125
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $1,582 per month in Elmina vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Elmina $1,582
Lisbon $4,319

Elmina is about 70% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Elmina sits 51% below the global median, while Lisbon is 65% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.82 GHS 91.0

$16.50 €14.67

-52.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 GHS 591

$61.3 €54.5

-17.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 GHS 119

$11.27 €10.03

-8.96%

Cappuccino

$4.46 GHS 51.9

$3.06 €2.72

45.75%

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

$1.53 GHS 17.85

$2.26 €2.01

-32.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 GHS 5.12

$1.73 €1.54

-74.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 GHS 21.03

$3.39 €3.02

-46.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 GHS 25.19

$3.40 €3.02

-36.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.67 GHS 42.68

$1.12 €1.00

227.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 GHS 19.37

$1.86 €1.65

-10.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 GHS 35.63

$1.53 €1.36

100.00%

Eggs

$2.68 GHS 31.21

$3.96 €3.53

-32.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.03 GHS 140

$12.76 €11.35

-5.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 GHS 82.3

$7.90 €7.02

-10.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 GHS 112

$16.97 €15.09

-43.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 GHS 41.93

$2.27 €2.02

59.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.32

$1.75 €1.55

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 GHS 20.58

$1.85 €1.64

-4.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 GHS 41.44

$2.57 €2.28

38.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 GHS 31.29

$1.86 €1.65

44.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 GHS 30.82

$2.02 €1.80

31.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 GHS 8.34

$1.44 €1.28

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.02

$0.82 €0.73

-26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 GHS 29.19

$6.56 €5.83

-61.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 GHS 82.1

$5.62 €5.00

25.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 GHS 14.10

$1.28 €1.14

-5.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 GHS 27.14

$2.07 €1.84

12.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 GHS 20.29

$3.99 €3.55

-56.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.65

$1.09 €0.97

15.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 GHS 50.0

$16.64 €14.81

-74.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 GHS 15.58

$2.28 €2.03

-41.23%

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

$7,913 GHS 92.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

-76.50%

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

$9,662 GHS 112.4K

$39.3K €35.0K

-75.41%

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

$73.7 GHS 857

$167 €149

-56.00%

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

$19.07 GHS 222

$18.80 €16.72

1.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 GHS 491

$33.09 €29.43

27.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 GHS 147

$9.84 €8.75

28.66%

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

$470 GHS 5,464

$677 €602

-30.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 216.6K

$16.9K €15.1K

10.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.18 GHS 165

$101 €90.1

-85.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.59 GHS 216

$45.76 €40.70

-59.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 GHS 427

$100.0 €88.9

-63.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 GHS 605

$123 €109

-57.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

3.85

594.81%

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

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elmina

$276 41.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 2.5% $7

Eating Out

Elmina

$168 25.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 44% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elmina

$135 20.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 62.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Elmina

$55 8.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 204% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Elmina

$25 * 3.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 160% $40

Getting Around

Elmina

$8 * 1.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 684% $55

Accommodation & Living

Elmina

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Elmina vs $269 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Elmina

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

1 h ahead of Elmina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,403

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elmina Lisbon 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Elmina
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

Elmina vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 233%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Elmina and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elmina – 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 Elmina. 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.