Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $709 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Arequipa

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $709 in Arequipa, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Arequipa $709

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $1,117 in Arequipa, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Arequipa $1,117

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $1,524 in Arequipa, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Arequipa $1,524

Lisbon costs about 211% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Arequipa is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$3.46 PEN 11.87

392.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$27.89 PEN 95.8

123.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.93 PEN 20.37

85.83%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.42 PEN 8.31

28.93%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.81 PEN 2.78

180.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.39 PEN 1.33

346.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.09 PEN 7.16

63.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.27 PEN 14.68

-12.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.34 PEN 4.61

-12.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.36 PEN 4.66

36.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.45 PEN 4.99

6.21%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.29 PEN 7.85

77.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$6.25 PEN 21.47

106.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$4.59 PEN 15.75

72.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$7.33 PEN 25.16

140.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.76 PEN 6.03

28.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.18 PEN 4.05

48.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.13 PEN 3.88

67.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$0.99 PEN 3.41

158.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.67 PEN 2.29

176.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.67 PEN 2.31

194.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.56 PEN 1.91

158.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.76 PEN 2.60

1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.13 PEN 17.62

30.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.18 PEN 17.80

9.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.67 PEN 9.17

-48.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.30 PEN 7.90

-8.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.28 PEN 0.95

728.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.02 PEN 6.92

95.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.01 PEN 6.92

-47.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$13.01 PEN 44.68

31.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.54 PEN 5.28

42.21%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

78.50%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

52.22%

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

$164 €146

$23.36 PEN 80.2

601.24%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$10.26 PEN 35.24

80.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$23.44 PEN 80.5

40.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$25.08 PEN 86.1

82.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$8.00 PEN 27.47

133.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$7.35 PEN 25.24

32.65%

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

$684 €608

$75.3 PEN 258

809.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

167.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$47.74 PEN 164

117.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$26.42 PEN 90.7

74.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$67.6 PEN 232

47.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$57.5 PEN 198

116.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$347 PEN 1,192

357.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$237 PEN 813

393.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$719 PEN 2,471

296.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$419 PEN 1,439

375.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,963 PEN 6,740

297.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$989 PEN 3,397

346.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$619 PEN 2,125

158.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-74.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Arequipa

$237 33.4% 79.8% $932

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Arequipa

$174 24.5% 36.3% $99

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Arequipa

$98 13.9% 60.3% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 73.5% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 46.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 39.2% $26

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 79% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $347 in Arequipa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 159% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $28.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $174 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

20:31 8:31 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

17,062

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Arequipa 8,920 km ≈ 12 h 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 Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 211% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $1,063 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $28.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $709 versus $2,202 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arequipa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.