Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esmeraldas and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $789 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$789

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in Esmeraldas versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Esmeraldas $789
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,359 in Esmeraldas versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Esmeraldas $1,359
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,929 in Esmeraldas versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Esmeraldas $1,929
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Esmeraldas costs roughly 65% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Esmeraldas is 42% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 $3.05

$16.50 €14.67

-81.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.6 $53.6

$61.3 €54.5

-12.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.96 $3.96

$11.27 €10.03

-64.86%

Cappuccino

$3.30 $3.30

$3.06 €2.72

7.84%

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

$0.52 $0.52

$2.26 €2.01

-76.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.73 €1.54

-71.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.39 €3.02

4.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.40 €3.02

72.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.12 €1.00

-8.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.86 €1.65

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.53 €1.36

-1.31%

Eggs

$2.18 $2.18

$3.96 €3.53

-44.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$12.76 €11.35

-50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$7.90 €7.02

-27.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.94 $7.94

$16.97 €15.09

-53.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.27 €2.02

0.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.75 €1.55

-32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.85 €1.64

-28.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.57 €2.28

-57.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.86 €1.65

-32.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.02 €1.80

-49.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.44 €1.28

-66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

$0.82 €0.73

29.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$6.56 €5.83

-10.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 $9.89

$5.62 €5.00

75.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.28 €1.14

19.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.07 €1.84

54.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 $0.35

$2.35 €2.09

-85.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.82 $15.82

$44.18 €39.30

-64.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.99 €3.55

-61.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.09 €0.97

11.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.81 $9.81

$16.64 €14.81

-41.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.28 €2.03

-61.84%

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

$21.1K $21.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

-37.44%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$39.3K €35.0K

-28.34%

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

$28.51 $28.51

$167 €149

-82.98%

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

$17.81 $17.81

$18.80 €16.72

-5.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.81 $28.81

$33.09 €29.43

-12.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.46 $30.46

$46.01 €40.93

-33.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 $16.98

$19.19 €17.07

-11.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 $6.53

$9.84 €8.75

-33.64%

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

$228 $228

$677 €602

-66.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,109 $9,109

$16.9K €15.1K

-46.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 $69.9

$101 €90.1

-30.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.87 $49.87

$45.76 €40.70

8.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$100.0 €88.9

16.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$123 €109

-13.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 $297

$1,614 €1,436

-81.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 $186

$1,197 €1,065

-84.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 $622

$2,862 €2,545

-78.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 $416

$1,990 €1,770

-79.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,353 $1,353

$7,577 €6,740

-82.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$706 $706

$4,307 €3,831

-83.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 $451

$1,588 €1,412

-71.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

3.85

162.86%

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

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Esmeraldas

$196 24.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 37.7% $74

Accommodation & Living

Esmeraldas

$186 23.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 545% $1K

Clothing & Footwear

Esmeraldas

$154 19.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 7.7% $12

Eating Out

Esmeraldas

$109 13.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 122% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esmeraldas

$75 9.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 192% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Esmeraldas

$44 5.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 50.9% $22

Getting Around

Esmeraldas

$25 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 153% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Esmeraldas and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 252% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $54.0 in Esmeraldas vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $269 per month, with Esmeraldas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

03:27 3:27 AM

6 h ahead of Esmeraldas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,216

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

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Between locations

Esmeraldas Lisbon 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Esmeraldas
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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

Esmeraldas vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 182% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 252% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $297 in Esmeraldas versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Esmeraldas – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $789 in Esmeraldas versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Esmeraldas but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Esmeraldas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Esmeraldas is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 182% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.