Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon, Nicaragua and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $816 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Leon

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$816

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $816 per month in Leon vs $2,206 in Lisbon, rent included.

Leon $816
Lisbon $2,206

A couple spends around $1,416 per month in Leon vs $3,276 in Lisbon, rent included.

Leon $1,416
Lisbon $3,276

A family of three spends $2,015 per month in Leon vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Leon $2,015
Lisbon $4,346

Leon is about 63% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Leon sits 40% below the global median, while Lisbon is 63% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.94 NIO 364

$16.86 €15.04

-41.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 NIO 1,278

$61.0 €54.5

-42.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 NIO 276

$10.98 €9.80

-31.42%

Cappuccino

$2.66 NIO 97.4

$3.05 €2.72

-12.79%

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

$0.89 NIO 32.73

$2.28 €2.04

-60.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NIO 24.72

$1.68 €1.50

-59.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NIO 56.1

$3.44 €3.07

-55.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 NIO 80.9

$3.91 €3.48

-43.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 NIO 44.31

$1.15 €1.02

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 NIO 85.2

$1.89 €1.68

23.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NIO 69.1

$1.50 €1.34

26.00%

Eggs

$2.31 NIO 84.8

$4.12 €3.67

-43.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 NIO 426

$13.01 €11.60

-10.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 NIO 227

$8.04 €7.18

-22.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.97 NIO 292

$17.89 €15.96

-55.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 NIO 145

$2.27 €2.03

74.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 NIO 22.35

$1.74 €1.56

-64.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 NIO 66.8

$1.82 €1.62

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 NIO 92.4

$2.69 €2.40

-6.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 NIO 141

$1.77 €1.58

116.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 NIO 80.6

$1.94 €1.73

13.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 39.75

$1.46 €1.31

-25.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 NIO 38.69

$0.76 €0.68

39.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 NIO 98.3

$6.66 €5.94

-59.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.42 NIO 528

$5.64 €5.03

155.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 NIO 52.7

$1.29 €1.15

11.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 NIO 83.5

$2.14 €1.91

6.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 NIO 61.0

$3.98 €3.55

-58.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 NIO 60.6

$0.64 €0.57

157.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.86 NIO 251

$18.93 €16.88

-63.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 NIO 49.47

$2.28 €2.03

-40.79%

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

$23.2K NIO 849.3K

$33.4K €29.8K

-30.52%

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

$26.8K NIO 981.3K

$38.5K €34.3K

-30.42%

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

$149 NIO 5,457

$158 €141

-5.80%

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

$19.60 NIO 718

$17.54 €15.64

11.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.87 NIO 1,167

$31.18 €27.82

2.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.82

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 NIO 325

$9.58 €8.54

-7.52%

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

$235 NIO 8,616

$674 €601

-65.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,939 NIO 217.5K

$18.7K €16.7K

-68.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 NIO 2,222

$102 €91.2

-40.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 NIO 2,376

$45.90 €40.94

41.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NIO 4,431

$102 €91.2

18.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 NIO 5,360

$122 €109

19.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 NIO 14.4K

$1,641 €1,463

-75.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,059

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,519

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 NIO 10.1K

$2,018 €1,800

-86.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,989

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,193

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,505

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

3.82

212.04%

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

Last update for Leon: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$259 31.7%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$200 24.6%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 3.2% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$177 21.7%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 5.2% $9.3

Eating Out

Leon

$152 18.7%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 61% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$18 * 2.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 260% $46

Getting Around

Leon

$9.9 * 1.2%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 508% $50

Accommodation & Living

Leon

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Leon versus $1,641 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 $35 in Leon versus $61 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $275 – making Leon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Leon

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

18:43 6:43 PM

6 h ahead of Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

207,533

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.44 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.06 NIO (100 NIO = 2.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Leon Lisbon 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Leon
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

Leon vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 170%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,224 per month in Leon and $3,309 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $394 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $816 in Leon and $2,206 in Lisbon. That makes Leon about 63% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $235 per month in Leon and $674 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Leon, where all-in costs run around $816, than in Lisbon at $2,206. In Leon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Leon costs $816 versus $2,206 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.