Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Arona

For one person, living is cheaper in Arona: $1,583 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Arona
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Arona Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Arona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,583

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Arona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,583 in Arona.

Lisbon $2,210
Arona $1,583

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,500 in Arona.

Lisbon $3,275
Arona $2,500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,418 in Arona.

Lisbon $4,341
Arona $3,418

Living in Lisbon is roughly 40% more expensive than in Arona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Arona 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.93

$16.68 €14.96

-0.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.4

$78.4 €70.3

-21.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.19

$8.85 €7.94

28.36%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.67 €1.49

77.84%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.88 €2.58

-20.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.14 €1.02

52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.89 €3.49

-12.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.57 €5.00

-40.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.37 €1.23

-15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.18 €1.96

-12.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.02 €3.61

-62.44%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.96 €2.65

35.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.61

$15.11 €13.56

-14.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$14.04 €12.59

-44.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.93

$15.07 €13.52

17.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.81 €2.52

-18.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.68 €1.51

2.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.13 €2.81

-40.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.23 €2.00

16.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.87 €1.68

-2.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.84 €1.65

7.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.66 €1.49

-11.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.66 €0.59

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.79 €6.09

-3.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.03

$4.51 €4.05

24.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.93 €0.83

46.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.63 €1.47

31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.87 €1.67

24.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.08

$37.52 €33.65

19.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.54 €4.97

-30.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.87 €1.68

-42.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.77

$32.01 €28.71

-48.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.11 €1.89

4.27%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$36.1K €32.4K

-5.24%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$34.7K €31.2K

11.49%

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

$161 €145

$194 €174

-16.75%

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

$18.41 €16.51

$11.93 €10.70

54.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.37

$27.27 €24.46

20.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.96

$58.3 €52.3

-23.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.13

$20.22 €18.14

-5.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.61

$13.28 €11.91

-27.71%

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

$668 €599

$895 €803

-25.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$19.5K €17.5K

-9.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.5

$89.4 €80.2

14.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.89

$37.29 €33.45

19.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.4

$106 €95.2

-7.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$130 €117

-4.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,443

$680 €610

136.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,067

$502 €451

136.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,523

$1,310 €1,175

114.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,806

$903 €810

123.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,032

$2,697 €2,419

190.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,104

$1,817 €1,630

151.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,413

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.65

5.48%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Arona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Arona

$502 31.8% 57.8% $688

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Arona

$313 19.8% 14.9% $40

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Arona

$227 14.3% 6.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Arona

$233 14.7% 9.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Arona

$163 10.3% 1.6% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Arona

$85 5.4% 33.1% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Arona

$60 3.8% 5.3% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $680 in Arona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $78 in Arona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $313 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Arona

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

00:31 12:31 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

14,310

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Arona 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 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 Arona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arona is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,374 in Arona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $680 in Arona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $895 in Arona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Arona is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Arona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.