Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Albacete

For one person, living is cheaper in Albacete: $1,562 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Albacete
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Albacete Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Albacete

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Albacete

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Albacete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,562 in Albacete.

Lisbon $2,210
Albacete $1,562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,228 in Albacete.

Lisbon $3,275
Albacete $2,228

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,893 in Albacete.

Lisbon $4,341
Albacete $2,893

Living in Lisbon is roughly 41% more expensive than in Albacete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Albacete 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$14.56 €13.08

14.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$47.80 €42.94

29.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.33 €8.38

21.76%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.09 €1.88

42.11%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.36 €2.12

-2.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.64 €1.48

6.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.74 €2.46

24.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.56 €4.09

-27.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.91 €0.82

27.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.75 €0.68

154.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.73 €1.56

-12.72%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.95 €2.65

36.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$16.11 €14.47

-19.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$5.47 €4.91

42.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$17.39 €15.62

2.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.52 €2.26

-8.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.14 €1.92

-19.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.46 €2.21

-24.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.51 €2.25

3.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.31 €2.07

-21.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.06 €1.85

-4.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.56 €1.40

-5.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.57 €0.51

26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.82 €6.13

-3.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$5.30 €4.76

5.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.21 €1.09

12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.38 €1.24

68.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$16.51 €14.83

170.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.69 €3.31

4.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.53 €1.38

-30.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$29.69 €26.67

-44.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.65 €1.48

33.33%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.2K €29.8K

3.12%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$28.5K €25.6K

35.85%

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

$161 €145

$184 €166

-12.58%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$17.50 €15.72

5.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$17.04 €15.31

92.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$4.41 €3.96

333.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$9.04 €8.12

6.19%

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

$668 €600

$681 €612

-1.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.8K €16.0K

-1.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$82.8 €74.4

23.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$42.11 €37.83

5.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$87.8 €78.9

12.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$111 €100

10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$936 €841

71.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$682 €612

74.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,239 €1,113

127.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$948 €851

112.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,312 €2,077

239.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,022 €1,816

126.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,952 €1,754

-19.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.14

22.61%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Albacete: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Albacete

$682 43.6% 42.7% $508

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Albacete

$256 16.4% 6% $16

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Albacete

$208 13.3% 14.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Albacete

$219 14% 3.1% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Albacete

$146 9.3% 12.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Albacete

$18 * 1.2% 71.7% $46

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Albacete

$33 2.1% 47.2% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $936 in Albacete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albacete pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $48 in Albacete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $256 per month, with Albacete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Albacete

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

173,206

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Albacete 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Albacete

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

Lisbon vs Albacete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Albacete differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,562 including rent). Albacete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $936 in Albacete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Albacete – a meal for two runs $48 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,562 in Albacete – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,562 in Albacete versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albacete but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Albacete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Albacete 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 Albacete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.