Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heredia and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Heredia: $1,816 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Heredia
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Heredia Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Heredia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,816

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,816 per month in Heredia vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Heredia $1,816
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $2,859 per month in Heredia vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Heredia $2,859
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $3,902 per month in Heredia vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Heredia $3,902
Lisbon $4,341

Heredia is about 18% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Heredia and Lisbon sit above the global median – Heredia by 33%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.92 ₡5,381

$16.65 €14.92

-28.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 ₡26.8K

$61.7 €55.3

-3.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 ₡4,812

$11.36 €10.18

-6.16%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₡1,762

$2.97 €2.66

31.31%

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

$2.19 ₡989

$2.29 €2.05

-4.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₡784

$1.74 €1.56

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₡921

$3.40 €3.05

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₡1,816

$3.31 €2.97

21.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₡965

$1.16 €1.04

84.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 ₡1,090

$1.91 €1.71

26.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 ₡1,231

$1.51 €1.36

80.79%

Eggs

$7.70 ₡3,474

$4.02 €3.60

91.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 ₡5,110

$12.94 €11.59

-12.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.48 ₡6,539

$7.77 €6.97

86.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 ₡7,699

$17.76 €15.92

-4.00%

Apples (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,853

$2.30 €2.06

367.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 ₡1,355

$1.73 €1.55

73.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 ₡2,242

$1.86 €1.66

167.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ₡1,519

$2.59 €2.32

29.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 ₡1,560

$1.82 €1.63

90.11%

Onion (1kg)

$4.53 ₡2,045

$1.97 €1.76

129.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 ₡987

$1.47 €1.32

48.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 ₡2,134

$0.72 €0.65

556.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.42 ₡2,446

$6.58 €5.90

-17.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 ₡6,434

$5.61 €5.02

154.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 ₡1,136

$1.36 €1.22

85.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 ₡2,106

$2.14 €1.91

117.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡586

$2.33 €2.09

-44.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.18 ₡7,304

$44.68 €40.04

-63.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 ₡1,206

$3.85 €3.45

-30.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 ₡1,326

$1.07 €0.96

174.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.01 ₡4,972

$16.46 €14.75

-33.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡694

$2.20 €1.97

-30.00%

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

$32.7K ₡14.8M

$34.2K €30.6K

-4.43%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$38.7K €34.7K

6.55%

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

$103 ₡46.3K

$161 €144

-36.42%

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

$26.00 ₡11.7K

$18.41 €16.50

41.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 ₡24.3K

$32.74 €29.34

64.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 ₡33.0K

$44.55 €39.92

63.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.80 ₡9,844

$19.10 €17.11

14.14%

Cinema Ticket

$11.45 ₡5,169

$9.60 €8.60

19.27%

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

$690 ₡311.3K

$668 €598

3.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K ₡8.2M

$17.6K €15.8K

2.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 ₡40.3K

$102 €91.4

-12.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$44.46 €39.85

46.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₡64.2K

$98.5 €88.3

44.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₡49.9K

$124 €111

-10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 ₡451.1K

$1,608 €1,441

-37.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₡279.4K

$1,190 €1,066

-48.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 ₡823.5K

$2,812 €2,520

-35.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 ₡515.0K

$2,013 €1,804

-43.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,078 ₡938.3K

$7,839 €7,025

-73.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,467 ₡662.5K

$4,576 €4,100

-67.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 ₡606.0K

$1,575 €1,411

-14.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

237.66%

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

Last update for Heredia: 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

Heredia

$619 34.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 92.3% $571

Groceries & Markets

Heredia

$488 26.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 44.2% $216

Eating Out

Heredia

$208 11.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 16.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Heredia

$183 10.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 9.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heredia

$182 10%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 16.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Heredia

$96 5.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 33.6% $32

Getting Around

Heredia

$39 2.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 63.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $999 in Heredia 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.

Salaries run about 17% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Heredia versus $62 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $488 in Heredia vs $272 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Heredia

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

09:39 9:39 AM

6 h ahead of Heredia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

Heredia Lisbon 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Heredia
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

Heredia vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,723 per month in Heredia 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 Heredia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $999 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,816 in Heredia and $2,210 in Lisbon. That makes Heredia about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Heredia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,816 in Heredia and $2,210 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Heredia costs $1,816 versus $2,210 in Lisbon. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Heredia. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.