Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanacaste: $1,534 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
Learn more

Guanacaste Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,534

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,534 per month in Guanacaste vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Guanacaste $1,534
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $2,421 per month in Guanacaste vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Guanacaste $2,421
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Guanacaste vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Guanacaste $3,307
Lisbon $4,341

Guanacaste is about 31% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guanacaste and Lisbon sit above the global median – Guanacaste by 13%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.77 ₡4,860

$16.65 €14.96

-35.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.69 ₡21.5K

$61.7 €55.5

-22.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,270

$11.36 €10.20

2.82%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡2,003

$2.97 €2.67

49.49%

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

$2.70 ₡1,220

$2.29 €2.06

17.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡871

$1.74 €1.56

10.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 ₡1,398

$3.40 €3.06

-8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,019

$3.31 €2.97

35.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡921

$1.16 €1.04

75.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₡1,439

$1.91 €1.72

67.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.51 €1.36

60.26%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,618

$4.02 €3.61

-10.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.63 ₡2,542

$12.94 €11.62

-56.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 ₡1,942

$7.77 €6.99

-44.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ₡5,005

$17.76 €15.96

-37.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,210

$2.30 €2.07

16.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.73 €1.56

-9.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 ₡1,988

$1.86 €1.67

136.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ₡689

$2.59 €2.33

-40.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,744

$1.82 €1.64

112.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,017

$1.97 €1.77

14.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₡406

$1.47 €1.32

-38.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₡1,385

$0.72 €0.65

326.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 ₡1,958

$6.58 €5.92

-34.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.25 ₡9,140

$5.61 €5.04

260.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,261

$1.36 €1.22

105.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,202

$2.14 €1.92

24.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡584

$2.33 €2.10

-44.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,128

$3.85 €3.46

-35.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡706

$1.07 €0.96

46.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ₡3,996

$16.46 €14.79

-46.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡709

$2.20 €1.98

-28.64%

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

$33.7K ₡15.2M

$34.2K €30.7K

-1.41%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$38.7K €34.8K

6.54%

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

$93.5 ₡42.2K

$161 €145

-41.99%

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

$36.18 ₡16.3K

$18.41 €16.54

96.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.69 ₡14.7K

$32.74 €29.41

-0.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.5 ₡30.0K

$44.55 €40.03

49.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,542

$9.60 €8.62

-18.23%

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

$968 ₡436.8K

$668 €600

44.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ₡7.9M

$17.6K €15.8K

-0.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.5 ₡30.0K

$102 €91.7

-34.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.53 ₡20.1K

$44.46 €39.95

0.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 ₡39.1K

$98.5 €88.5

-12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 ₡35.3K

$124 €111

-36.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 ₡358.9K

$1,608 €1,445

-50.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₡279.6K

$1,190 €1,069

-47.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 ₡856.7K

$2,812 €2,527

-32.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 ₡577.2K

$2,013 €1,809

-36.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.85

123.90%

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

Last update for Guanacaste: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanacaste

$620 40.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 92% $570

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$312 20.4%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 12.8% $40

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$217 14.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 11.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$162 10.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 30.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$124 8.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 33.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$82 5.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 22.4% $18

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$16 * 1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 308% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $795 in Guanacaste 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 $48 in Guanacaste versus $62 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $312 in Guanacaste vs $272 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

13:38 1:38 PM

6 h ahead of Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guanacaste Lisbon 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Guanacaste
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

Guanacaste vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,301 per month in Guanacaste 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 Guanacaste, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $795 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,534 in Guanacaste and $2,210 in Lisbon. That’s a gap of about 44%.

Kindergarten costs $968 per month in Guanacaste and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,534 in Guanacaste and $2,210 in Lisbon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guanacaste costs $1,534 versus $2,210 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.