Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Alcala de Henares

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcala de Henares: $1,909 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Alcala de Henares

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 Alcala de Henares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,909 in Alcala de Henares.

Lisbon $2,210
Alcala de Henares $1,909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,723 in Alcala de Henares.

Lisbon $3,275
Alcala de Henares $2,723

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,537 in Alcala de Henares.

Lisbon $4,341
Alcala de Henares $3,537

Living in Lisbon is roughly 16% more expensive than in Alcala de Henares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Alcala de Henares 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$16.95 €15.18

-1.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$65.8 €59.0

-6.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$11.11 €9.95

2.25%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.66 €2.39

11.65%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.22 €2.88

-28.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.95 €1.74

-10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.86 €3.45

-11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.88 €4.37

-32.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.21 €1.08

-4.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.56 €1.40

22.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.71 €1.53

-11.70%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.88 €2.58

39.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$22.52 €20.17

-42.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$9.16 €8.21

-15.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$17.66 €15.81

0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.79 €2.50

-17.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.38 €2.13

-27.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.19 €1.96

-15.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.60 €2.33

-0.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.14 €1.92

-14.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.16 €1.93

-8.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.51 €1.35

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.75 €0.67

-4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.06 €5.43

8.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.80 €6.99

-28.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.18 €1.06

15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.47 €1.31

58.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$45.73 €40.95

-2.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.70 €3.32

4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.93 €1.73

-44.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$22.94 €20.55

-28.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.72 €1.54

27.91%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$32.8K €29.4K

4.24%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$30.6K €27.4K

26.53%

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

$161 €144

$188 €169

-14.38%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$19.42 €17.39

-5.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$30.79 €27.58

6.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$41.53 €37.19

7.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$8.27 €7.40

130.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.49 €8.50

1.16%

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

$668 €598

$182 €163

266.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,892 €5,277

198.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$73.7 €66.0

38.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$35.88 €32.14

23.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$77.1 €69.1

27.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$95.7 €85.7

29.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$983 €881

63.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$854 €765

39.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,791 €1,604

57.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,156 €1,035

74.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$4,266 €3,821

83.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$3,423 €3,066

33.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,741 €1,559

-9.52%

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 Alcala de Henares: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Alcala de Henares

$854 44.7% 28.3% $336

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Alcala de Henares

$314 16.4% 15.3% $42

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Alcala de Henares

$251 13.1% 3.3% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.5% 12.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.7% 23.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Alcala de Henares

$61 3.2% 5.1% $3.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Alcala de Henares

$65 3.4% 2.8% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $983 in Alcala de Henares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcala de Henares pays 11% 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 $66 in Alcala de Henares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $314 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

199,184

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Alcala de Henares 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Alcala de Henares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,909 in Alcala de Henares, so Alcala de Henares is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% 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 $983 in Alcala de Henares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $182 in Alcala de Henares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $66 in Alcala de Henares. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Alcala de Henares gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Alcala de Henares are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.