Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Alicante

For one person, living is cheaper in Alicante: $1,814 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Alicante

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 Alicante actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,814 in Alicante.

Lisbon $2,223
Alicante $1,814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,801 in Alicante.

Lisbon $3,271
Alicante $2,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,788 in Alicante.

Lisbon $4,319
Alicante $3,788

Living in Lisbon is roughly 23% more expensive than in Alicante, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Alicante 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$19.14 €17.03

-13.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$66.0 €58.7

-7.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$11.24 €10.00

0.27%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.21 €1.97

38.46%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.06 €1.83

9.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.30 €1.16

33.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.34 €2.97

1.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.30 €2.94

3.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.11 €0.99

0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.64 €1.46

13.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.61 €1.43

-4.97%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.26 €2.90

21.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$17.37 €15.45

-26.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.79 €8.71

-19.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$15.86 €14.11

7.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.58 €2.30

-12.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.08 €1.85

-15.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.79 €1.59

3.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.63 €2.34

-2.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.90 €1.69

-2.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.01 €1.79

0.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.23 €1.10

17.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.66 €0.58

24.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.46 €5.75

1.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.42 €4.82

3.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.19 €1.06

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.06 €1.83

0.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.65 €1.47

42.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$26.30 €23.39

67.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.10 €2.76

28.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.30 €1.16

-16.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$16.96 €15.09

-1.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.76 €1.56

29.55%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$35.6K €31.7K

-5.50%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$29.1K €25.9K

34.89%

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

$167 €149

$141 €125

19.17%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$18.27 €16.25

2.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$29.69 €26.41

11.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$40.64 €36.15

13.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$16.59 €14.76

15.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$9.07 €8.06

8.49%

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

$677 €602

$708 €629

-4.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$9,120 €8,113

85.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$86.1 €76.5

17.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$35.13 €31.25

30.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$93.7 €83.3

6.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$103 €92.0

18.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,003 €892

60.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$846 €752

41.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,685 €1,499

69.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,519 €1,351

31.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,155 €3,696

82.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,008 €1,786

114.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,900 €1,690

-16.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.99

28.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alicante: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Alicante

$846 46.6% 29.3% $351

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Alicante

$285 15.7% 5.7% $15

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Alicante

$250 13.8% 3.3% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Alicante

$189 10.4% 14.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Alicante

$143 7.9% 13.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Alicante

$59 3.2% 10.5% $6.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Alicante

$43 2.3% 32.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,003 in Alicante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $66.0 in Alicante for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $285 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Alicante

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

23:57 11:57 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

349,282

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Alicante 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Alicante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alicante the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Alicante. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,003 in Alicante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $708 in Alicante. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,814 in Alicante versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,814 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Alicante 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 Alicante gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.