Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Alajuela Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Alajuela

😐 Solo nomad: Lisbon is 1.8% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 43.2% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Lisbon is 7.9% cheaper than Alajuela without rent, and 39.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Alajuela
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.92 €13.72
$10.08 ₡4,768
57.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.5 €55.6
$40.17 ₡19.0K
60.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 €9.09
$9.68 ₡4,577
8.88%
Cappuccino
$2.91 €2.51
$3.75 ₡1,773
-22.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 €1.98
$1.96 ₡927
17.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 €1.35
$1.29 ₡610
21.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 €2.97
$2.21 ₡1,044
55.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.87 €3.33
$3.65 ₡1,726
6.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Alajuela
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €0.98
$1.86 ₡880
-38.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 €1.55
$2.47 ₡1,166
-27.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 €1.51
$2.22 ₡1,048
-21.17%
Eggs
$3.23 €2.79
$2.25 ₡1,063
43.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.22 €11.39
$9.67 ₡4,570
36.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.03 €6.92
$9.04 ₡4,273
-11.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.00 €13.79
$13.90 ₡6,572
15.11%
Apples (1kg)
$2.33 €2.01
$3.85 ₡1,822
-39.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 €1.42
$1.45 ₡686
13.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 €1.67
$4.14 ₡1,958
-53.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.44 €2.10
$2.86 ₡1,350
-14.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 €1.58
$2.88 ₡1,360
-36.46%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 €1.79
$2.64 ₡1,247
-21.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.00 €1.72
$1.00 ₡474
100.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 €0.69
$2.51 ₡1,187
-68.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.74 €5.81
$4.95 ₡2,338
36.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.80 €5.00
$20.49 ₡9,689
-71.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 €1.15
$2.14 ₡1,012
-37.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.60
$2.42 ₡1,145
24.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Alajuela
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.37 €2.04
$0.83 ₡394
185.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.20 €39.83
$112 ₡53.0K
-58.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.07 €3.51
$1.38 ₡652
194.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 €0.75
$1.32 ₡622
-34.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.58 €16.01
$8.05 ₡3,804
130.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.80
$1.40 ₡662
49.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K €30.0K
$37.7K ₡17.8M
-7.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.8K €33.4K
$32.8K ₡15.5M
18.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Alajuela
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 €130
$44.80 ₡21.2K
235.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.62 €17.77
$19.66 ₡9,297
4.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.09 €34.56
$33.13 ₡15.7K
21.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Alajuela
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.85 €41.25
$65.7 ₡31.1K
-27.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.37 €15.83
$43.81 ₡20.7K
-58.07%
Cinema Ticket
$9.32 €8.03
$9.13 ₡4,315
2.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Alajuela
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$615 €530
$303 ₡143.3K
102.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.4K €14.2K
$2,356 ₡1.1M
597.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Alajuela
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €89.8
$62.9 ₡29.7K
65.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.10 €35.43
$52.3 ₡24.7K
-21.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.3 €82.1
$121 ₡57.2K
-21.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €104
$100 ₡47.4K
19.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Alajuela
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,630 €1,405
$704 ₡332.9K
131.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,229 €1,059
$607 ₡286.8K
102.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,018 €2,601
$1,013 ₡479.1K
197.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,004 €1,728
$934 ₡441.6K
114.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,872 €6,786
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,319 €3,723
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Alajuela
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,611 €1,389
$2,039 ₡964.1K
-21.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.81
10.17
-62.54%

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

Last update for Lisbon: March 1, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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