Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Atenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Atenas: $1,548 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Atenas

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,548 in Atenas, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Atenas $1,548

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,527 in Atenas, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Atenas $2,527

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $3,506 in Atenas, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Atenas $3,506

Lisbon costs about 43% more than Atenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lisbon and Atenas sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Atenas by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$9.66 ₡4,361

72.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$56.4 ₡25.4K

9.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.79 ₡5,321

-3.65%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.83 ₡1,727

-22.45%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.77 ₡1,249

-17.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.94 ₡875

-10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.38 ₡1,525

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.44 ₡2,005

-25.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.39 ₡1,079

-51.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.07 ₡1,384

-37.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.25 ₡1,016

-32.89%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.48 ₡1,571

15.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.74 ₡4,847

20.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.55 ₡4,310

-18.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$10.41 ₡4,701

70.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.52 ₡2,039

-49.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.62 ₡731

6.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.65 ₡1,197

-29.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.45 ₡1,107

5.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.81 ₡1,719

-52.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.60 ₡1,173

-24.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.12 ₡505

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$3.11 ₡1,405

-76.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.04 ₡2,726

8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$18.82 ₡8,497

-70.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.63 ₡1,188

-48.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.67 ₡1,204

-19.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.21 ₡998

5.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.50 ₡1,126

54.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.57 ₡709

-31.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$8.68 ₡3,917

89.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.50 ₡677

46.67%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$33.7K ₡15.2M

1.32%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$42.1K ₡19.0M

-7.93%

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

$161 €144

$94.0 ₡42.4K

71.60%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$35.77 ₡16.1K

-48.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$52.3 ₡23.6K

-37.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$47.83 ₡21.6K

-6.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$11.06 ₡4,995

72.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.55 ₡3,407

27.15%

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

$668 €598

$975 ₡440.3K

-31.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,667 ₡3.0M

164.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$72.0 ₡32.5K

41.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$54.2 ₡24.5K

-18.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$126 ₡57.1K

-22.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$130 ₡58.8K

-5.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$666 ₡300.6K

141.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$550 ₡248.2K

116.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,537 ₡693.8K

82.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,244 ₡561.7K

61.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,330 ₡600.6K

18.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.62

-55.34%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Atenas: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Atenas

$550 35.5% 53.8% $640

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Atenas

$358 23.2% 31.6% $86

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Atenas

$203 13.1% 16.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Atenas

$182 11.8% 14.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Atenas

$172 11.1% 3.9% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Atenas

$63 4.1% 1.3% $0.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Atenas

$19 * 1.2% 69.6% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $666 in Atenas. 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 18% 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 in Lisbon versus $56 in Atenas. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Lisbon vs $358 in Atenas – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 Atenas

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

00:27 12:27 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Atenas 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Atenas

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 Atenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,322 in Atenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $666 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $56 in Atenas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,548 in Atenas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,548 in Atenas to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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