Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Arouca

For one person, living is cheaper in Arouca: $766 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Arouca
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Arouca Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Arouca

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Arouca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $766 in Arouca.

Lisbon $2,223
Arouca $766

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,313 in Arouca.

Lisbon $3,271
Arouca $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,861 in Arouca.

Lisbon $4,319
Arouca $1,861

Living in Lisbon is roughly 190% more expensive than in Arouca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Arouca is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$10.26 TTD 69.0

60.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$59.2 TTD 398

3.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$8.10 TTD 54.5

39.14%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.75 TTD 25.22

-18.40%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.04 TTD 6.96

117.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.77 TTD 5.16

124.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.79 TTD 12.02

89.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.51 TTD 16.87

35.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.06 TTD 13.85

-45.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.26 TTD 15.20

-17.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.82 TTD 18.98

-45.74%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.79 TTD 25.47

4.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$6.81 TTD 45.84

87.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$10.25 TTD 68.9

-22.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$8.80 TTD 59.2

92.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$5.43 TTD 36.54

-58.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.50 TTD 16.81

-30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.76 TTD 25.27

-50.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.33 TTD 29.14

-40.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.78 TTD 5.22

138.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.72 TTD 4.84

180.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.47 TTD 9.88

-2.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.16 TTD 7.77

-29.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.48 TTD 36.89

19.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$17.73 TTD 119

-68.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.54 TTD 10.34

-16.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.10 TTD 20.82

-33.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$0.93 TTD 6.28

329.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.85 TTD 5.71

28.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$14.93 TTD 100

11.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.15 TTD 7.76

98.26%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$36.3K TTD 244.5K

-7.36%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$40.7K TTD 273.7K

-3.43%

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

$167 €149

$44.13 TTD 297

279.54%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$42.57 TTD 286

-55.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$45.30 TTD 305

-26.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$8.69 TTD 58.5

13.23%

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

$677 €602

$392 TTD 2,636

72.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$10.8K TTD 72.3K

57.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$55.2 TTD 371

83.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$36.42 TTD 245

25.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$86.9 TTD 584

15.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$87.7 TTD 590

40.05%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.75

-33.04%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arouca: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Arouca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Arouca

$319 41.7% 18.5% $50

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Arouca

$173 22.5% 28.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Arouca

$132 17.2% 39.8% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Arouca

$120 15.6% 28% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Arouca

$17 * 2.3% 73.5% $48

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Arouca

$5.2 * 0.7% 91.8% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $59.0 in Arouca. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $319, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇹 Arouca

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

12,054

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Arouca 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Arouca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Arouca differ by about 190% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $766 including rent). Arouca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $1,149 in Arouca 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.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $392 in Arouca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Arouca – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $766 in Arouca versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arouca but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Arouca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Arouca 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 Arouca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 190% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.