Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Arecibo

For one person, living is cheaper in Arecibo: $1,281 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Arecibo
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Arecibo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Arecibo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Arecibo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,281 in Arecibo.

Lisbon $2,223
Arecibo $1,281

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,005 in Arecibo.

Lisbon $3,271
Arecibo $2,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,730 in Arecibo.

Lisbon $4,319
Arecibo $2,730

Living in Lisbon is roughly 74% more expensive than in Arecibo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Arecibo is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$12.13 $12.13

36.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$81.2 $81.2

-24.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$8.55 $8.55

31.81%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.42 $3.42

-10.53%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.90 $1.90

18.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.50 $1.50

15.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.05 $3.05

11.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.09 $5.09

-33.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.79 $1.79

-37.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.36 $3.36

-44.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.94 $1.94

-21.13%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.48 $4.48

-11.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$12.78 $12.78

-0.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.48 $9.48

-16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$13.47 $13.47

25.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.97 $4.97

-54.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.59 $2.59

-32.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.81 $4.81

-61.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.84 $4.84

-46.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.69 $3.69

-49.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.99 $3.99

-49.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.53 $3.53

-59.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.60 $1.60

-48.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$11.98 $11.98

-45.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$15.87 $15.87

-64.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$3.09 $3.09

-58.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$4.06 $4.06

-49.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$40.63 $40.63

8.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.54 $2.54

57.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.46 $1.46

-25.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$41.96 $41.96

-60.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.91 $0.91

150.55%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$40.4K $40.4K

-16.61%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$28.2K $28.2K

39.58%

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

$167 €149

$324 $324

-48.35%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$68.1 $68.1

-72.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$66.1 $66.1

-49.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$10.59 $10.59

-7.08%

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

$677 €602

$833 $833

-18.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$12.6K $12.6K

34.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$56.1 $56.1

80.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$61.5 $61.5

-25.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$109 $109

-8.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$114 $114

7.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,191 $1,191

33.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.55

-41.22%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arecibo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Arecibo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Arecibo

$395 30.8% 46.6% $125

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Arecibo

$203 15.8% 16.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Arecibo

$459 35.8% 109% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Arecibo

$153 12% 7.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Arecibo

$21 * 1.7% 67.8% $45

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Arecibo

$50 * 3.9% 19.9% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $81.0 in Arecibo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $395 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇷 Arecibo

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

03:19 3:19 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

39,634

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Arecibo 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Arecibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arecibo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 47% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Arecibo – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,281 in Arecibo versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Arecibo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Arecibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Arecibo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Arecibo 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 Arecibo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.